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The Saint Mary's Gaels take on the San Francisco Dons. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Saint Mary's San Francisco prediction and pick. Find how to watch Saint Mary's San Francisco.
In a season when Gonzaga is not a heavyweight team and not the clear-cut favorite to win the West Coast Conference championship, the importance of this Saint Mary's-San Francisco game is magnified to a considerable degree. It's a golden opportunity for both the Gaels and the Dons to rise to the top of the league standings. Remember: Gonzaga lost at Santa Clara earlier in the month, falling to the Broncos for the first time since 2011. Gonzaga is uniquely and especially vulnerable, opening the door for SMC and USF to win a rare conference title. It would be especially rare for San Francisco, given that Saint Mary's has often been the main contender and challenger to Gonzaga in the WCC for most of the past 15 years. San Francisco rarely gets any sniff at the WCC title, but with the Dons and Saint Mary's at 4-0 in league play and Gonzaga laboring through this campaign, it's a chance of a lifetime for this USF squad at home on the Hilltop. This is a late-night game college basketball fans won't want to miss. It will be overshadowed nationally by the San Francisco 49ers' playoff game, but it might be a closer and more intriguing contest than the NFC divisional playoff game involving the Green Bay Packers.
Here are the Saint Mary's-San Francisco College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Saint Mary's-San Francisco Odds
Saint Mary's Gaels: +1.5 (-120)
San Francisco Dons: -1.5 (-102)
Over: 127.5 (-110)
Under: 127.5 (-110)
How To Watch Saint Mary's vs San Francisco
Time: 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
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Why Saint Mary's Could Cover the Spread
The Gaels, with six losses to this point in the season, haven't had the kind of campaign they were hoping for. On balance, they have underachieved, losing home games to Weber State and Missouri State to drag down the quality of their overall resume and endanger their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. However, once WCC competition began, SMC has been better and sharper and much more like the team many experts expected to see before the season began. The Gaels are 4-0 and have won three conference games on the road. They beat Santa Clara by 24 points on the road. Santa Clara beat Gonzaga at home. Saint Mary's has a quality point guard, Aidan Mahaney, who should be able to dictate the tempo of this and and put the Gaels in a good position in crunch time. Saint Mary's is playing high-level defense and has done more in WCC play than San Francisco has. The Dons have beaten Pacific, the worst team in the conference; SMC has not yet played Pacific. Neither team has played Gonzaga.
In addition to all the reasons cited above, Saint Mary's is more accustomed to playing games with WCC championship implications. San Francisco doesn't have as much experience in games such as this. It could matter.
Why San Francisco Could Cover the Spread
The Dons are playing this game at home. It's going to be the biggest non-Gonzaga home game of their season. Their effort is going to be through the roof, and that could translate into a win.
Final Saint Mary's-San Francisco Prediction & Pick
This game is too close to call, exactly the kind of game to stay away from. Maybe wait for a live betting play.
Final Saint Mary's-San Francisco Prediction & Pick: Saint Mary's +1.5
