Santa Clara vs Saint Mary's prediction, pick, college basketball odds

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It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Santa Clara Saint Mary’s prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Santa Clara Saint Mary’s.

The Saint Mary’s Gaels are getting the job done. The Gaels entered West Coast Conference play with a lot to prove, and they have proved how worthy they are. SMC has lost only one WCC game so far this season, and that loss — which came last Thursday night on the road at San Francisco — was the product of a horrible night at the free throw line, 9 of 16. SMC had an eight-point lead midway through the second half but could not make pressure foul shots. That’s the only thing preventing the Gaels from being unbeaten in the West Coast Conference right now. Saint Mary’s played very good defense in that game against San Francisco but did not do the little things late to finish off the win. SMC still looks like the best team in the WCC and still owns a two-game lead in the loss column over its closest pursuers. Saint Mary’s has to go to Gonzaga later this season, but with a multi-game lead, SMC knows that as long as it wins every non-Gonzaga game remaining on its schedule, it will win the conference.

Here are the Santa Clara-Saint Mary’s College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Santa Clara-Saint Mary’s Odds

Santa Clara: +9.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +375

Saint Mary’s: -9.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -500

Over: 136.5 (-110)

Under: 136.5 (-110)

How to Watch Santa Clara vs Saint Mary’s

Time: 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT

TV: ESPN2, ESPN Plus

*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

Why Santa Clara Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Saint Mary’s Gaels are good, but they are one of several college basketball teams which struggles from the free throw line. That opens the door for opponents to keep games close. If Santa Clara can simply keep the margin of this game under 10 points (double figures), it will cover the spread.

We also have to point out that while Saint Mary’s leads the WCC standings, Santa Clara is battling for seeding position in the tier below the Gaels. Santa Clara needs this game more than Saint Mary’s does, and with the large spread, there’s a pretty good chance that Santa Clara can stay in this game and not get blown out, thereby covering the plus-9.5 number.

Why Saint Mary’s Will Cover The Spread/Win

We previewed the first of the two meetings between these teams earlier this season. We did not make an official pick, but we did lean to Santa Clara.

We wrote that “if the Gaels are going to finally come back to the rest of the pack in the WCC, this is a game in which Randy Bennett’s team might get tripped up. Santa Clara isn’t a relentlessly consistent team, but when the Broncos are at their best, they are a very tough out. They scored 103 points on the road at Gonzaga and shocked the Zags in one of the WCC’s bigger upsets this season. The Broncos have also beaten Oregon State, San Francisco, and Washington State. You don’t know which version of Santa Clara you’re going to get on a nightly basis, but when this team shows up, it is a handful.”

Santa Clara was a 4.5-point underdog at home. The total was 138.5. Final score: Saint Mary’s 67, Santa Clara 54. SMC easily covered the spread, and the total went well under. We underestimated Saint Mary’s, and that’s worth noting from a pure betting perspective.

Final Santa Clara-Saint Mary’s Prediction & Pick

We know Saint Mary’s is better, but we also know the spread is five points larger than the first time these teams played in 2025. We were correct to not pick the previous game, because our lean was wrong. We’re going to stay that way here. We’ll lean to Santa Clara but don’t feel confident enough to actually recommend you pick the Broncos.

Final Santa Clara-Saint Mary’s Prediction & Pick: Santa Clara +9.5

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