The 17th-ranked Saint Mary's Gaels travel to Firestone Fieldhouse to take on the Pepperdine Waves. Saint Mary's dominated the first meeting this season, winning 103-59 on home court. Will they be able to continue their dominance, or will the Waves return the favor at home? It is time to continue our men's college basketball odds series with a Saint Mary's-Pepperdine prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Saint Mary's may have their sights set on a perfect conference record, but they will wrap up their first outright regular season championship since 2012 with a win over Pepperdine. They will clinch the title with a win or a Gonzaga loss. Saint Mary's owns the longest current winning streak at 15 games. They have owned Pepperdine, winning 14 of the past 16 meetings. Augustas Marciulionis had a career-high 28 points in their win over the Waves this season.

Pepperdine's lone bright spot this season is the play of their junior college transfer Michael Ajayi. He leads the conference with 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He has 15 double-doubles this season, which is also a conference high. Despite the poor record, Pepperdine may be playing their best basketball of the season, winning three of their last five games. The issue for Pepperdine is they can beat teams near their caliber level but can't play up to their competition. They've been double-digit underdogs three times in their last ten games, losing by 23, 44, and 24 points.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Saint Mary's-Pepperdine Odds

Saint Mary's: -15.5 (-105)

Moneyline: -1800

Pepperdine: +15.5 (-115)

Moneyline: +920

Over: 137.5 (-110)

Under: 137.5 (-110)

How to Watch Saint Mary's vs. Pepperdine

Time: 11 PM ET/8 PM PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Saint Mary's Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Gaels dominated Pepperdine on home court, winning by 44 as 19-point favorites. Fanduel now has the Gaels as just 15.5-point favorites, so does the Waves' homecourt advantage change the game this much? Their results this season would tell you the opposite. Pepperdine boasts just a 9-7 record at home, explaining why they are 12-18. Saint Mary's is flawless on the road this season, winning all eight games. The Gaels continue to own an undefeated West Coast Conference record and need two wins over Pepperdine and Gonzaga to close out the perfect conference season.

Why Pepperdine Will Cover The Spread/Win

As mentioned earlier, Saint Mary's is on the cusp of an undefeated record in conference play this season. The Gaels are two games away from the feat, and it is clear which game is a bigger deal for Saint Mary's. Gonzaga has won the West Coast Conference regular season championship for 11 straight seasons, and ten also resulted in a conference tournament title. Saint Mary's beat Gonzaga in the 2019 tournament, and they have been Gonzaga's biggest challenger during their run. The Gaels will have a substantial interest in beating Gonzaga to complete their perfect season and may already be looking ahead to that matchup.

Final Saint Mary's-Pepperdine Prediction & Pick

The angle that Saint Mary's may be looking ahead to their matchup with Gonzaga to end the year is worth noting, but a win over Pepperdine will guarantee the conference title. It would be great for Saint Mary's to beat Gonzaga for their undefeated conference record, but the Gaels don't want to face Gonzaga with the possibility of losing and having to split the regular season title. Saint Mary's will come out with a clear goal of dominating Pepperdine for the second time this season. Saint Mary's shouldn't be favored by just 15 points aginst this Waves team, no matter where the game is being played.

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Final Saint Mary's-Pepperdine Prediction & Pick: Saint Mary's -15.5 (-105)