The Pacific Tigers take on the Saint Mary's Gaels. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Pacific Saint Mary's prediction and pick. Find how to watch Pacific Saint Mary's.
The Saint Mary's Gaels are not in a good position to make the NCAA Tournament. Any team which has to win its conference tournament in order to make the Big Dance is not in a good position. SMC has a legitimate chance, but the Gaels certainly expected to be comfortably in the NCAA field right now. Instead, because of bad losses to Weber State, Missouri State, and other underdogs in the early part of their season, they do not have an at-large-worthy resume. Saint Mary's will face its moment of truth not in the next month, but in the WCC Tournament in early March. That's when the Gaels will have to deliver the goods. If there is anything of value for Saint Mary's in the next month, it is to finish in the top two of the WCC standings. Saint Mary's took a big step toward that goal by beating San Francisco this past weekend. As long as SMC doesn't collapse, it should be able to get that top-two spot, which would ensure a quarterfinal bye and guarantee that the Gaels would not have to play — and win — more than two games in the WCC Tournament.
The Gaels mainly have to make sure that they don't slip up against the lower-tier teams of the WCC. Taking care of business against the Pacific Tigers is part of the process to get SMC that top-two finish in the conference standings at the end of the regular season.
Here are the Pacific-Saint Mary's College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Pacific-Saint Mary's Odds
Pacific Tigers: +26.5 (-102)
Saint Mary's Gaels: -26.5 (-120)
Over: 135.5 (-110)
Under: 135.5 (-110)
How To Watch Pacific vs Saint Mary's
Time: 11:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Pacific Could Cover the Spread
The spread is huge at 26.5 points. Start there. Of course Saint Mary's is a far better team than Pacific, and of course Pacific just isn't very good on its own terms, but a spread this big in the middle of conference play is still something to give bettors pause. Consider this particular point: Saint Mary's just played its best game of the regular season in crushing San Francisco on the road this past weekend. That might seem to be a reason to pick Saint Mary's against the spread, but the reality of college basketball — and sports in general — is that no team plays with the same quality or intensity in every game. Human nature leads teams and athletes to play to the level of their competition. Players will coast against opponents they know they should beat easily. You're simply not going to see Saint Mary's invest itself emotionally in this Pacific game the way it went all-out against San Francisco. The Gaels will win comfortably, but they might jog to the finish line with a 20-point win. They won't beat themselves up to win by 30 with another game coming up for them on Saturday.
Why Saint Mary's Could Cover the Spread
Saint Mary's is the first-place team in the WCC. Pacific is the last-place team in the conference. Saint Mary's is at home. This game will be a 20-point game at halftime and SMC should build a 35-point lead, such that even when the Gaels put in backups late, they can still cover.
Final Pacific-Saint Mary's Prediction & Pick
The spread is so large that it's not easy to make a call here. Saint Mary's is the lean, but if you pass, it's not a bad decision.
Final Pacific-Saint Mary's Prediction & Pick: Saint Mary's -26.5
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