The Saint Mary's Gaels take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Spokane, Washington. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Gonzaga is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -278. The total is set at 142.5 points.
Here are my Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga predictions and college basketball picks for February 22, 2025.
Saint Mary's vs Gonzaga Prediction
My Pick: Gonzaga -4.5
My Saint Mary's vs Gonzaga best bet is on the Bulldogs spread, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Saint Mary's vs Gonzaga Odds, Spread, Line
| Saint Mary's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7 -113 | 142.5 -107o / -113u | +225 |
| Gonzaga Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7 -108 | 142.5 -107o / -113u | -286 |
- Saint Mary's vs Gonzaga spread: Gonzaga -7
- Saint Mary's vs Gonzaga over/under: 142.5
- Saint Mary's vs Gonzaga moneyline: Saint Mary's +225, Gonzaga -286
Spread
My best bet for this game is for Gonzaga to cover the spread. The Bulldogs have been on a roll since their last game against the Gaels and have the pieces to cover here.
Moneyline
While I'm betting Gonzaga to cover, I don't see value on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm staying away from the total in this game.
My Pick: Gonzaga -4.5
Saint Mary's vs Gonzaga NCAAB Preview
To put it lightly, "The Kennel" will be rocking on Saturday night — a nationally televised game, a persistent narrative that Gonzaga has lost its fastball and a revenge spot all rolled up into one. This has the makings of a Gonzaga statement game.
The Zags could've easily beaten the Gaels in Moraga in the teams’ first meeting despite shooting 3-for-17 from 3-point range.
With the game knotted at 58 in the closing minute, the Bulldogs shot themselves in the foot. Actually, I’m not sure that analogy works because they would've missed from close range.
After sending Harry Wessels to the line, Saint Mary's clung to a two-point lead, 60-58. Then Graham Ike got rejected at the rim, Ryan Nembhard missed a 3 and Ike missed a triple before Saint Mary's collected the final rebound.
The Gaels tacked on two meaningless foul shots to make it a four-point decision in their favor.
It was yet another close loss for Mark Few and the Bulldogs. The Zags have four losses that have come by one possession or in overtime. For a coach who historically has been solid in end-of-game scenarios, their late-game luck has to turn at some point.
Keep in mind, Gonzaga has appeared in nine straight Sweet 16s, which demonstrates its ability to win when it matters most.
Since that setback against Saint Mary's, Few’s team has been on the warpath. It's rattled off five straight wins, and if you sort Bart Torvik’s team rankings since its loss to the Gaels, Gonzaga is the ninth-best team in America.
Equally encouraging is the fact that Ike has played tremendously in February. Even in the loss to Saint Mary's, Ike went for 24 and eight. He was great again against San Francisco and Washington State, particularly on the glass, and he’s consistently avoided foul trouble.
Assuming we get more of the same from Ike, can we get a special game from Khalif Battle or Nolan Hickman?
Battle has teased fans with his potential, proving to be a boom-or-bust player in navy blue and white. In the past seven games, he’s exploded for 23-plus points on three occasions. All of those outbursts came at home, which is good news for Gonzaga in this spot.
If Hickman or Battle go off and Ike stays on the floor to battle with the Saint Mary's bigs for 30-plus minutes, there’s a chance we see a double-digit Zags win.
