The Saint Mary's Gaels take on the San Diego Toreros. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Saint Mary's San Diego prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Saint Mary's San Diego.
The Saint Mary's Gaels got tripped up last week. They held a late lead but lost it to the Loyola Marymount Lions. Their perfect WCC record was shattered. They lost their first conference game of the season. Much more crucially, their two-game lead over Gonzaga was lost. Saint Mary's had the ability to win the league even with a loss on the road against Gonzaga later in the season as long as it beat every other non-Gonzaga WCC opponent. That scenario is now gone. If SMC does not beat Gonzaga later in the season, it won't win the league outright. Of course, Saint Mary's has to take care of more immediate business first, heading to San Diego for a game against the Toreros. If Saint Mary's beats all of its remaining non-Gonzaga opponents, it would still clinch a tie for the WCC crown, which is certainly important.
It just isn't as huge as being able to win the conference by itself and not having to share anything.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Saint Mary's-San Diego College Basketball odds:
College Basketball Odds: Saint Mary's-San Diego Odds
Saint Mary's Gaels: -13.5 (-115)
San Diego Toreros: +13.5 (-105)
Over: 137.5 (-110)
Under: 137.5 (-110)
How To Watch Saint Mary's vs. San Diego
TV: Local/regional cable
Stream: fuboTV (see below)
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Saint Mary's-San Diego LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Saint Mary's Could Cover the Spread
This team is newly vigilant after letting down its guard last week against Loyola Marymount. The Gaels actually still controlled most of the game. They were the better team for the vast majority of the 40 minutes played. They led by four points with under 20 seconds left. However, the last 15 seconds were their worst 15 seconds of the game, committing a key foul and giving up a 3-pointer to LMU. The Lions made the Gaels pay. Saint Mary's watched 39.5 minutes of good work go down the drain in a stunning defeat. At any rate, the Gaels bounced back strongly on Saturday, going on a huge run midway through the game to run away from Portland on the road. The lopsided win re-established Saint Mary's as a team to be taken very seriously. Had the Gaels lost, a lot of fresh questions would have emerged.
Also keep in mind that Aidan Mahaney is a good freshman point guard who is only getting better. He is growing in his understanding of coach Randy Bennett's offense. If this game does get dicey, Mahaney will calm things down for SMC and stabilize the Gaels' halfcourt offense.
Why San Diego Could Cover the Spread
The Saint Mary's Gaels are feeling the pressure in the WCC. Their late stumble against Loyola Marymount last week was a case of a team feeling that it had something to lose, knowing that any mistake could prove very costly. When a team is very conscious of the stakes involved, it will often make a mistake just because it is thinking so much about the importance of a game, a moment, a situation. Saint Mary's has lost that easy confidence and automatic self-assurance it had before its victory over Gonzaga. This team is in a much more difficult situation with a more complicated set of circumstances. San Diego can take advantage of that reality.
Final Saint Mary's-San Diego Prediction & Pick
The Gaels are going to win outright, but this is a lot of points on the road, and Loyola Marymount covered against the Gaels one week ago. Stay away from this game relative to the point spread.
Final Saint Mary's-San Diego Prediction & Pick: San Diego +13.5
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