The BYU Cougars (19-14, 7-9 WCC) square off with the No. 16 Saint Mary's Gaels (25-6, 14-2) Monday in the opening round of the WCC Tournament. Tip from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas is at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the BYU vs. Saint Mary's odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Gaels finished the regular season tied for the WCC lead with Gonzaga to secure the top seed in the conference tournament. Saint Mary’s toppled BYU twice along the way, winning 57-56 as a 6.5-point road favorite on Jan. 28 and 71-65 as a 10-point home favorite on Feb. 18.
Saint Mary’s will likely be a top-5 seed in March Madness regardless of the WCC Tournament, but BYU must win this game to have any chance of making it.