The Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Saint Mary's Gaels in Moraga, CA. Tip-off is set for 11 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Gonzaga is favored by 1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -130. The total is set at 145 points.
Here are my Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary's predictions and college basketball picks for February 1, 2025.
Gonzaga vs Saint Mary's Prediction
My Pick: Gonzaga ML (-130 or Better)
My Gonzaga vs Saint Mary's best bet is on the Bulldogs moneyline, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Gonzaga vs Saint Mary's Odds
| Gonzaga Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -110 | 145 -110o / -110u | -125 |
| Saint Mary's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -110 | 145 -110o / -110u | +105 |
- Gonzaga vs Saint Mary's spread: Gonzaga -1.5
- Gonzaga vs Saint Mary's over/under: 145 points
- Gonzaga vs Saint Mary's moneyline: Gonzaga -125, Saint Mary's +105
- Gonzaga vs Saint Mary's best bet: Gonzaga ML (-130 or Better)
Spread
I'm passing on the spread, but I would lay the points with the Zags.
Moneyline
I'm backing Gonzaga on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the over/under.
My Pick: Gonzaga ML (-130 or Better)
Gonzaga vs Saint Mary's College Basketball Betting Preview
This feels like a sell-high spot on Saint Mary’s.
The Gaels have ripped through their conference schedule, starting 9-0 with some gaudy wins. However, they’ve also played a soft schedule, with five games against KenPom sub-200 opponents (Pacific, Portland, San Diego, Pepperdine twice).
After their incredible 30-0 run over Santa Clara on Wednesday, the market is enamored with the Gaels.
That said, let’s pump the breaks a bit. Saint Mary’s only beat Santa Clara by 13 despite the 30-0 run. The Gaels only beat Washington State by five last Saturday in a game that ShotQuality graded as an analytical loss based on the “quality” of shots taken and allowed (65-62 in favor of the Cougars).
Let’s remember the non-conference when Saint Mary’s lost to Arizona State, Boise State and Utah State, three KenPom sub-40 teams. This will be the Gaels' first game against a KenPom top-40 squad, and it comes against a KenPom top-10 team — Saturday will be a huge step up in competition.
Meanwhile, it’s a terrific buy-low spot for Gonzaga.
After losses to Oregon State and Santa Clara, the market is down on the Bulldogs. This is also not your typically dominant Zags squad, as they lost to West Virginia, Kentucky, UConn and UCLA in the non-conference.
But Gonzaga has faced a much more difficult schedule on the whole and lost two of those aforementioned games in overtime. The Bulldogs also have recorded convincing wins over Baylor (by 38) and San Diego State (by 13).
The Bulldogs are still good, and I think they’ve made some solid adjustments over the past week, as shown by their 38-point home clobbering of the Beavers on Tuesday.
Of greater importance, this is a must-win game for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs are just 2-5 in Quad 1 opportunities this season, and they’ll only get two more after Saturday.
This game is far more important to the Zags, who must crawl upward from their currently projected six seed — meanwhile, a loss likely doesn't penalize Saint Mary's too much.
From a schematic perspective, Saint Mary’s plays one of the deepest drop-coverages in college basketball, and that scheme will funnel ball-screen creation into the middle of the court.
Ryan Nembhard is among the nation’s best ball-screen maestros, and he'll take advantage — just as he did in last season’s head-to-head matchup in Moraga when he dropped 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the interior while adding 10 assists.
On the other end of the court, Gonzaga is among the few teams nationally that can keep Saint Mary’s off the offensive boards. The Gaels can look a little stale offensively when they’re not eating up second-chance opportunities en masse.
Ultimately, it’s not often that you get to buy low on Mark Few, not to mention that he gets a day of extra rest and prep for this matchup.
I’m taking advantage while I can.
