The No. 1 seed Saint Mary's Gaels will face the No. 5 seed BYU Cougars on Monday night in the semifinals of the 2023 West Coast Conference Tournament. Saint Mary's swept the regular-season series between these teams in a pair of games that were decided by a combined seven points. BYU advanced to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament with a 73-63 win against Loyola Marymount in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET. The Gaels are favored by 6.5 points in the latest Saint Mary's vs. BYU odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 130. Before entering any BYU vs. Saint Mary's picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters conference tournament week 76-51 on all top-rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Saint Mary's vs. BYU. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for BYU vs. Saint Mary's:
- Saint Mary's vs. BYU spread: Saint Mary's -6.5
- Saint Mary's vs. BYU over/under: 130 points
- Saint Mary's vs. BYU money line: Saint Mary's -305, BYU 240
- Saint Mary's vs. BYU picks: See picks here
Why Saint Mary's can cover
Saint Mary's earned the top seed in the conference tournament after putting together a dominant regular season, losing just two games against WCC opponents. The Gaels lost their finale at Gonzaga on Feb. 25, but they have been off since then, giving them more rest and preparation time than BYU. They also won both games against the Cougars during the regular season, so they have a mental edge as well.
Senior guard Logan Johnson leads four double-digit scorers with 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Star freshman Aidan Mahaney is averaging 14.6 points, while senior Alex Ducas (12.3) and junior Mitchell Saxen (11.8) are both in double figures as well. They will be motivated to punch their ticket to the tournament title game and possibly get revenge against Gonzaga.
Why BYU can cover
BYU is playing for its NCAA Tournament life right now, giving the Cougars a different level of motivation in this tournament. The Cougars beat Portland by 11 points in the second round before beating Loyola Marymount by 10 points in Saturday's quarterfinals. They had a much-needed day off on Sunday, while Saint Mary's is having to knock off some rust after sitting out for more than a week.
The Cougars covered the spread in both losses to Saint Mary's during the regular season, and they have now covered in six straight games in the series. They have also been profitable overall down the stretch, covering in five of their last six games. Sophomore forward Fousseyni Traore leads BYU with 13.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while senior guard Rudi Williams is averaging 12.8 points.
How to make Saint Mary's vs. BYU picks
The model has simulated BYU vs. Saint Mary's 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Saint Mary's vs. BYU? And which side of the spread is hitting well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is 76-51 on its top-rated college basketball picks this season, and find out.
