The two squads that have met for the West Coast Conference championship in eight of the past 10 years square off tonight.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs (21-1) lead the WCC at 9-0 and seek their 15th consecutive victory. The St. Mary’s Gaels (19-3), meanwhile, sit in third place despite a strong 8-1 conference record. The Gaels are 25-2 in their last 27 WCC regular-season contests.
Let’s look at a St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga prediction and picks for Saturday’s showdown at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA, tipping off at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
The Gaels swept the Bulldogs in the 2024-2025 regular season, including a 74-67 triumph in Spokane.
However, Gonzaga picked up revenge in the WCC championship, topping St. Mary’s 58-51. It marked the fourth time since 2020 the Bulldogs knocked off the Gaels to grab the automatic berth for winning the conference tournament.
St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga Over/Under, Spread
The Bulldogs enter this matchup as 9.5-point favorites, returning a 1.16x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Gaels are road underdogs with a 4.34x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Gonzaga Wildcats -9.5
- Over/Under: 146.5
- Game Winner Payout: St. Mary’s 4.34x | Gonzaga 1.16x
Team Picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change.
St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to get you set for St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga tonight, including insights on our St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga prediction.
- Gonzaga is listed as a single-digit favorite for the first time since beating Kentucky, 94-59, as 5.5-point chalk on December 5.
- The Bulldogs are 4-5 against the spread in WCC play, capped off by non-covers in the last two wins over Pepperdine and San Francisco.
- Head coach Mark Few’s squad compiled one cover in five home conference games, coming against Loyola-Marymount as 24.5-point favorites on January 4.
- The Gaels have lost in both opportunities as an underdog to Santa Clara (62-54) and Vanderbilt (96-71).
- St. Mary’s has posted a 6-1 ATS mark in the last seven games off a non-cover. The Gaels failed to cover as 14.5-point road favorites in a 75-69 victory at Portland last Saturday.
- In the last six matchups, St. Mary’s covered four times, including in the past two visits to Spokane.
- Gonzaga is the top-ranked team in WCC play in defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage, and 2-point shooting.
- Bulldogs leading scorer F Graham Ike (18.1 PPG) is expected to return after missing the last three games with an ankle injury.
- The Gaels allowed 11 3-pointers to San Francisco on January 13 but yielded that same amount in the past three games combined.
- St. Mary’s leads in 3-point percentage (40.5%) and defensive 3-point percentage (29.9%) in WCC action.
St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga Picks for PrizePicks Today: Saturday, January 31
Here are three top St. Mary’s vs. Gonzaga picks to target on Saturday. Key PrizePicks player projections are headlined by three players: Gonzaga F Graham Ike, St. Mary’s F Paulius Murauskas, and Gaels G Joshua Dent.
Gonzaga F Graham Ike vs. St. Mary’s Projection: 18.5 Points
- Prior to his three-game absence, Ike shot an incredible 24-of-32 (75%) from the floor in wins over Santa Clara and Washington State.
- In January, Ike is averaging 24.2 PPG in four games, including a season-high 34-point performance against Santa Clara.
- Ike passed this projection in two of three matchups against St. Mary’s last season. He was limited to 11 points in the WCC title game on 5-of-12 shooting.
- St. Mary’s has allowed five opposing players to score at least 19 points in the last six games.
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St. Mary’s F Paulius Murauskas vs. Gonzaga Projection: 18.5 Points
- The junior is the top WCC scorer, averaging a career-high 19.3 PPG after scoring 12.1 PPG last season.
- In five of seven WCC games, Murauskas topped the 21-point mark, including scoring 24 points against Portland last Saturday.
- Last season, Gonzaga shut down the Lithuanian star, holding him to 19 points in three matchups. In the WCC championship, he failed to score on 0-of-7 shooting in 14 minutes.
- In 12 of the last 16 games, Murauskas has racked up at least 19 points. Three of the four in which he was held below that mark were on the road.
St. Mary’s G Joshua Dent vs. Gonzaga Projection: 16.5 Pts + Asts
- Dent dished out 18 combined assists in the last two wins over Oregon State and Portland, eclipsing this projection each time.
- The sophomore is averaging 13.0 PPG and 5.0 APG in five WCC road games.
- Dent shot 3-of-14 from downtown in three road games before going 3-of-5 against Portland.
- In four of the past five games, the Australian native is putting up 16.4 PPG and 6.4 APG.
Make St. Mary's vs. #6 Gonzaga Picks on PrizePicks
Gonzaga looks to remain unbeaten in WCC play, facing rival St. Mary’s in Spokane this evening. There’s never been a better time to add to the excitement of every CBB moment than with PrizePicks.
There are hundreds of player stat projections on the CBB board for every game; just pick at least two to build your Lineup on PrizePicks. Or, make your picks on winners, spreads, and over/unders on Team Picks, now available in 30 states!
Check out the Playbook throughout the season for more CBB picks, predictions, and news every day.
