Who's ready for some exciting West Coast Conference action? The Pacific Tigers will look to play the part of spoiler as they head into town to tip-off with the 15th-ranked Saint Mary's Gaels. Join us for our college basketball odds series where our Pacific-Saint Mary's prediction and pick will be unveiled.

Fresh off of a disgruntling two-point loss to Loyola Marymount, Pacific wasted a red-hot 57% shooting clip from the floor to go down in defeat in crushing fashion. Losers in four out of their last five games, the Tigers need to right the ship desperately as conference tournament play is just around the corner.

Winners in ten of their previous eleven games versus Pacific, Saint Mary's enters play with a sparkling 24-5 record including a 13-1 mark in conference play. Not only are the Gaels looking up to no one as they occupy the top spot in a tight battle for the conference crown with Gonzaga, many believe that this is one of the best Saint Mary's squads in recent memory.

Here are the Pacific-Saint Mary's college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Pacific-Saint Mary's Odds

Pacific: +18.5 (-102)

Saint Mary's: -18.5 (-120)

Over: 137.5 (-110)

Under: 137.5 (-110)

How To Watch Pacific vs. Saint Mary's

TV: N/A

Stream: CBS Sports App

Time: 10:00 ET/7:00 PT

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Why Pacific Could Cover The Spread

At first glance, the whopping 19.5-point line that is set is certainly mind-boggling, as the Tigers are in fact one of the largest underdogs on the day within the scheduled college basketball slate on Thursday. Nevertheless, this is a Pacific squad that is an exciting group to watch especially on the offensive side of the floor.

On paper, the Tigers average 76.6 PPG as their offense is certainly the team's biggest strength this year, but they are unfortunately giving up even more than that defensively as they succumb to the opposition scoring a colossal 77.7 points per game on them. After managing an extremely productive 88 points on offense, the defense did not do their part against Loyola Marymount as they gave up one of their largest totals of points at 90 on the season. Simply put, getting some stops and maybe even getting lucky with some Saint Mary's open misses will to happen in order for Pacific to cover the spread.

In addition, keeping the pedal to the metal and not letting up will be key. Up 11 with only 3:23 left the last time out, victory slipped right through the Tigers' paws as they were left stunned and disheartened. Alas, improving upon their 69% mark from the free-throw line along with an increased effort to corral loose rebounds will be beneficial down the stretch as heavy underdogs.

Why Saint Mary's Could Cover The Spread

With a highly-anticipated rematch with the 12th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs awaiting them on the horizon, the Gaels cannot afford to overlook a Pacific team that can be sneaky efficient when clicking on all cylinders. Saint Mary's number-one priority ahead of tonight's matchup will happen to come in the form of slowing down Pacific's offense and forcing them to take wild and contested shots late into the shot clock. Believe it or not, the Gaels happen to boast one of the top-scoring defenses in all of America as they only allow 58.9 PPG over the course of two halves played.

Against BYU, the usual suffocating defense of the Gaels had an off-day as they let the Cougars shoot 47% from deep despite coming out triumphant. Expect longtime head coach Randy Bennett to tighten the screws in an attempt to force some turnovers and keep Pacific in an uncomfortable state throughout the night. The Tigers happen to own a 39% shooting clip from trey land which is the top mark in the conference, so the Gaels will no doubt need to slow down the Tigers' terror from downtown.

Without a doubt, this defensive unit is as nasty as they come, but playing well on the other end of the floor will need to take place. All in all, Saint Mary's is fortunate enough to have one of the more consistent scorers in the conference call Moraga, California his home in guard Aidan Mahaney. Not only is the 6'3″ freshman the team's leading scorer with 15.1 points per contest, but he also has a slew of tricks up his sleeve when the ball is in his hands. Whether it's making it rain from three or settling for points in the paint, Mahaney could serve as Saint Mary's golden ticket in covering the spread later tonight.

Final Pacific-Saint Mary's Prediction & Pick

There truly isn't really an argument against the fact that Saint Mary's won't find a way to win this game, but rather be able to cover in blowout fashion. Clearly, 19.5 points is a ton, and even though the Gaels are an extremely productive 15-2 at home, siding with Pacific in keeping this one close is smart especially since there's a chance that Saint Mary's will be looking ahead to Gonzaga on Saturday.

Final Pacific-Saint Mary's Prediction & Pick: Pacific +18.5 (-102)