Saint Mary's vs Washington State prediction, pick, College Basketball odds
01/25/2025 12:29 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Saint Mary’s-Washington State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Saint Mary’s-Washington State.
The Saint Mary’s Gaels are in first place in the West Coast Conference entering this game. We haven’t yet seen the Gaels face archrival Gonzaga, nor have we seen SMC go up against WCC newcomer Oregon State. On Thursday night, Saint Mary’s faced San Francisco in the first game for the Gaels against one of the upper-tier teams in the conference. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen when SMC faced a team removed from the lower — and soft — end of the WCC. The Gaels had pounded the likes of Portland and Pepperdine by very large and comfortable margins. Good teams should do that, but winning easily against bad teams isn’t the foremost or central test of a good team. Winning the big games against strong opposition reveals a team’s true level of competitive chops.
Against San Francisco, Saint Mary’s answered the bell. The Gaels hammered USF 71-51, treating the Dons the same way they treated the lower end of the WCC. SMC is now 7-0 in the conference, two games ahead of 6-2 Santa Clara in the loss column and a clean two games ahead of 5-2 Gonzaga.
Washington State has already played one game it might really regret for the remainder of this college basketball season. The Cougars lost to Pacific at home on a night when they fell behind by a big margin, rallied to force overtime, took a four-point lead in the overtime period, and then somehow let the game slip away. There is no shame in losing to Gonzaga, which WSU also did, but losing at home to Pacific is the kind of result which follows a team all the way to Selection Sunday in mid-March unless it collects so many good counterbalancing wins that there is ultimately no need for a discussion.
Washington State played Santa Clara on Thursday night in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Cougars had every incentive to win that game and compensate for the loss to Pacific. Instead, they face-planted in a shockingly lopsided and non-competitive 93-65 loss. Losing wasn’t the surprise; not being remotely close to Santa Clara was the real disappointment for a WSU team which is heading in the wrong direction right now. Given that Wazzu has three WCC losses, a loss here to the first-place team in the conference would essentially end the Cougars’ conference championship hopes in the month of January.
Here are the Saint Mary’s-Washington State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Saint Mary’s-Washington State Odds
Saint Mary’s: -5.5 (-114)
Moneyline: -245
Washington State: +5.5 (-106)
Moneyline: +198
Over: 141.5 (-114)
Under: 141.5 (-106)
How to Watch Saint Mary’s vs Washington State
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Saint Mary’s Will Cover The Spread/Win
Saint Mary’s is a freight train. Beating Pepperdine by a large margin didn’t raise eyebrows, but beating San Francisco by 20 certainly does. This team is playing great ball, and Washington State is playing poorly, as the Santa Clara no-show indicated. Don’t overcomplicate this. Take Santa Clara.
Why Washington State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Washington State was lost and disorganized on the road at Santa Clara. With the Cougars coming home to Pullman for a game they desperately need to win, you should expect a very different — and higher — level of energy from this Washington State team.
Final Saint Mary’s-Washington State Prediction & Pick
Saint Mary’s is worth trusting right now. Take the Gaels.
Final Saint Mary’s-Washington State Prediction & Pick: Saint Mary’s -5.5
The post Saint Mary’s vs Washington State prediction, pick, College Basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
