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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Saint Mary's-Boise State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Saint Mary's-Boise State.
There is so much quality college basketball to watch on Saturday night. Gonzaga-UConn is the big national headliner in prime time at 8 p.m. Eastern. One hour later, Saint Mary's — Gonzaga's longtime rival in the West Coast Conference — faces Boise State in a highly intriguing game.
Bettors, take note: This game is not on Boise State's home floor at a campus site. This game is in Idaho, but it's not in Boise; it's in Idaho Falls. The shooting environment therefore won't be familiar for the Broncos, but they should have a partisan crowd behind them at this alternate location.
Boise State urgently needs this game. It's not that Saint Mary's doesn't — the Gaels can sorely use a quality win away from their home floor too — but Boise State has lost at home to Washington State while also dropping a game on a neutral floor to Boston College. Those recent losses have chipped away at the Broncos' overall profile to the extent that they don't have a large margin for error right now. They can say, with some reason and legitimacy, that in the Mountain West Conference, they will get plenty of opportunities to collect good wins and boost their portfolio before Selection Sunday. However, winning a game like this would truly give them a big poker chip which would offset the Wazzu and Boston College losses. If Boise State does lose this game, it would likely need to finish at or near the top of the Mountain West to feel somewhat comfortable about its position in the NCAA Tournament. A loss here plus a fifth- or sixth-place finish in the Mountain West might leave Boise State in a precarious bubble position in mid-March. The Broncos know what they need to do here.
Saint Mary's has lost only once this season. The Gaels have generally taken care of business in nonconference play and now seek to add to their collection of wins. They won at Utah. They won away from home against Nebraska. They crushed USC on a neutral floor. Those opponents might not be great, but SMC nevertheless took care of business in road and neutral environments, building the kinds of results the selection committee likes to see. Arizona State looks like an NCAA Tournament-quality team, so the Gaels aren't going to be hurt by that loss. If they take care of business here against Boise State, they will enter Christmas Day and the coming conference season in good position to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Here are the Saint Mary's-Boise State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Saint Mary's-Boise State Odds
Saint Mary's: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -120
Boise State: +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +100
Over: 138.5 (-110)
Under: 138.5 (-110)
How to Watch Saint Mary's vsBoise State
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: Mountain West Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Saint Mary's Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Gaels have been the more consistent of the two teams in this matchup. Randy Bennett knows how to game-plan for opponents, specifically at the defensive end of the floor. Boise State definitely does not have the benefit of the doubt in this game. If anything, SMC does. The fact that this is not a true home game for Boise State — even though BSU will have more fans in the building — might help just enough to get Saint Mary's over the line. Boise State won't be operating in a familiar shooting environment in Idaho Falls.
Why Boise State Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Broncos need this game more than Saint Mary's does. Boise State started very slowly at home in its loss to Washington State before playing a really strong second half. The Broncos fell short because their first half was so awful, but they really did seem to discover something in that second half. As long as they carry that second half performance into this game, they should be fine. They will have a vocal crowd supporting them, even though it's not an on-campus game.
Final Saint Mary's-Boise State Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Boise State, but the game feels like a coin-flip. Don't bet on this one. Study and learn for the future.
Final Saint Mary's-Boise State Prediction & Pick: Boise State moneyline
