The No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-4, 8-1 WCC) will look to topple the No. 18 Saint Mary’s Gaels (20-4, 9-0) in Moraga, Calif., Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s game odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Despite the perception that Gonzaga is struggling this season, the Bulldogs are still No. 14 in the nation and have only lost 1 conference game. It was a home loss to Loyola Marymount that ended the nation’s longest home-winning streak at more than 65.
After the 68-67 loss as 16.5-point favorites, the Bulldogs have 3-straight wins and remain just 1 game back of Saint Mary’s in the conference heading into the game Saturday.
Saint Mary’s will come into this game on an 11-game winning streak face a Bulldogs team that knocked them out of the conference tournament last year.
If Saint Mary’s is going to get the Bulldogs, this is the year to do so as Gonzaga seems to be weaker this season compared to the Gaels, who seemingly have everything they need for the victory.
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Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:15 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Gonzaga +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | Saint Mary’s -170 (bet $170 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Gonzaga +3.5 (-115) | Saint Mary’s -3.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 137.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s picks and predictions
Prediction
Gonzaga 70, Saint Mary’s 60
Moneyline
Gonzaga leads the nation in scoring offense at 86.4 points while Saint Mary’s ranks 4th in defense at 57.2 points per game. My feeling is that Gonzaga’s offense is too much in this game as the Bulldogs rank 1st in FG % at 52.1% and 16th in 3-point percentage at 38.6%.
F Drew Timme will dominate in the paint, and this will allow Gonzaga to move the ball up and down the floor and score against the Gaels.
Take GONZAGA +135.
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Against the spread
PASS on the spread and stick to the ML.
This should be a Gonzaga victory on Saturday. With Gonzaga being the underdog, I will take the risk on their moneyline for the higher payout.
Over/Under
UNDER 137.5 (-115) is the total to play.
Despite Gonzaga leading the country in scoring, it has not shown in the total plays for the Bulldogs lately.
Following a win, the Bulldogs have gone Under the total in 6 of its last 7 games. The Bulldogs have also gone Under the total in 4 straight on the road against teams with winning records at home and 5 in a row against any team with a straight up win percentage above .600.
Gonzaga will score enough to win but not enough to drag this game to the Over.
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