San Francisco Dons vs Saint Mary’s Gaels NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 1/23/25
Looking to win big? The Dons and Gaels face off at 9:00 ET on CBSS. The Gaels are hosting the game at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, CA. The odds for this West Coast conference game currently have Saint Mary’s as the -8.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 136.5 points.
SAN FRANCISCO DONS VS SAINT MARY’S GAELS BETTING PICK
The Pick: San Francisco Dons +8.5
This game will be played at University Credit Union Pavilion at 9:00 ET on Thursday, January 23rd.
WHY BET THE SAN FRANCISCO DONS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-71 in favor of the Gaels.
- Even though we have Saint Mary’s winning straight-up, we like San Francisco at +8.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 136.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 148 points.
Will the Dons Find a Way to Win on the Road?
San Francisco Dons Recent Game/Games
San Francisco improved to 15-5 on the season with an 81-70 win over Oregon State on Saturday. The Dons, who were -4.5 favorites, covered the spread in the home victory.
Leading 43-34 at halftime, San Francisco scored 38 points in the 2nd half while allowing 36. The total points for the game reached 151, surpassing the over/under line of 140.5.
San Francisco’s offense was firing on all cylinders, hitting 60% from the field and 59.1% from beyond the arc, with an effective field goal percentage of 75.6%. Malik Thomas led the way with 24 points, shooting 72.7% overall and 66.7% from three.
Marcus Williams added 21 points, hitting 4 of 5 threes, while Tyrone Riley IV was perfect from deep, going 3 for 3. The Dons dished out 20 assists and connected on 14 of 19 free throws, finishing with 81 points in the game.
San Francisco’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 70 points on 60% shooting from the field. The opposing team shot 60% on two-point attempts, making 14 of 23.
From beyond the arc, the Dons allowed 13 threes on 22 attempts, a 59% shooting performance. The other team also went 14/19 from the free-throw line, hitting 73% of their attempts. San Francisco gave up just 4 offensive rebounds.
Can the Gaels Lock in a Home Win?
Saint Mary’s Gaels Recent Game/Games
Saint Mary’s improved to 15-3 on the season with a 74-50 win over Pepperdine on Saturday. The Gaels were -14 point favorites going into the game and covered the spread. The total points for the game were 124, which was under the O/U line of 139.5.
Saint Mary’s led 35-22 at halftime and continued their strong play in the second half, scoring 39 points while holding Pepperdine to 28 points.
Saint Mary’s put up 74 points in their last game, shooting 46.2% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 52.3%. They connected on 50% of their two-point attempts (23/46) and hit 36.8% from beyond the arc (7/19). At the free-throw line, they were nearly perfect, going 7-for-8 for an 87.5% success rate.
The Gaels grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and dished out 14 assists. Stefan Todorovic led the team with 16 points, though he shot just 35.3% overall and 25% from three. Luke Barrett added 14 points, shooting 60% from the field, while Mitchell Saxen and Jordan Ross each contributed 13 points, with Ross hitting all 3 of his three-point attempts.
Saint Mary’s Gaels put on a defensive clinic, holding their opponent to just 50 points on 33% shooting from the field (19/56). They were particularly effective inside the arc, where they limited the opposition to 36% shooting (16/44).
From three-point range, the Gaels’ defense was stifling, allowing just 3 made threes on 12 attempts (25%). They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 14 times, where they converted 9 of those attempts (64%). Saint Mary’s gave up 7 offensive rebounds in the game.