Gaels vs. Cougars Prediction
The 14th-ranked Brigham Young Cougars are the favorites tonight when they meet the Saint Mary’s Gaels in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals. Will BYU win for the second time in three meetings with Saint Mary’s this season?
Game Snapshot
893 Saint Mary’s Gaels vs. 894 BYU Cougars
Monday, March 9, 2020
Orleans Arena at 11:30PM ET
TV: ESPN2
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According to oddsmakers, the Cougars are a 3.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 147.5 points. As of Monday afternoon, 68 percent of public bets are being placed on BYU. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Gaels down Waves in double OT
Saint Mary’s earned an 89-82 double overtime victory Saturday night over Pepperdine in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament to improve to 25-7 overall. The Gaels were outscored by the Waves 41-32 in the second half, while it remained deadlocked at 80-80 through one overtime before Saint Mary’s outscored the opposition 9-2 in the second extra session. Jordan Ford led the Gaels as he poured in 42 points on 17-of-30 shooting including 5-of-12 from 3-point distance plus 3-of-4 at the free throw line. He also pulled down five rebounds. Malik Fitts tallied 11 points and five boards. Tommy Kuhse added 11 points, eight caroms, five assists and two steals.
Cougars blast Waves in regular season finale
Brigham Young eased to an 81-64 win nine days ago at Pepperdine to move to 24-7 overall and 13-3 in conference action. The Cougars outscored the Waves 49-29 in the second half after trailing by three at the break. Yoeli Childs paced BYU as he poured in 38 points on 17-of-27 shooting including 1-of-3 from 3-point range plus 3-of-3 at the charity stripe. He also racked up 14 rebounds. Zac Seljaas accounted for 12 points, six boards and three assists off the bench. Jake Toolson added 11 points and eight caroms.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Saint Mary’s
The Gaels are 5-2 ATS in their last seven Monday games. Saint Mary’s is 8-21 ATS in its last 29 neutral site games as an underdog.
BYU
The Cougars are 4-1 ATS in their last five Monday games. The favorite is 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings.
Prediction:
The last two meetings have been extremely close with the Gaels winning 87-84 in overtime at home, while BYU returned the favor with an 81-79 trumph on its home court back on February 1. Considering the Cougars have been on a tear, this could be a breakthrough against Saint Mary’s as they are the more rested team with over a week to prepare for this tournament. With Saint Mary’s having played a fatiguing double OT contest two nights ago, it might catch up in the second half. I’m taking the favorites to win by enough to cover this spread.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: BYU COUGARS -3.5