The No. 14 Saint Mary's Gaels (25-5, 14-1 WCC) look for a season sweep of the No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-5, 13-2) in Spokane Saturday at 10 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Since losing 78-70 to Saint Mary's, Gonzaga has run off 5 straight wins and continues to lead the nation in scoring at 87.5 points per game. This includes its past 2 games against Pepperdine and San Diego in which the Bulldogs scored 97 in each contest. While Gonzaga and star center Drew Timme handle its business on offense, Saint Mary's uses the 4th-ranked defense to hold teams down.
The Gaels come in after beating Pacific 83-52 Thursday and head into this matchup looking to seal up the WCC conference title.
Despite the better record and beating the Zags in the first meeting, Saint Mary's is ranked No. 14 while Gonzaga is No. 12. This is even more prevalent when looking at the NET. This shows the Gaels as the 7th-best team in the nation and Gonzaga as 10th. Saint Mary's will look to prove the voters wrong Saturday.