Towson goes head-to-head with Saint Mary’s at the University Credit Union Pavilion on Monday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
The Tigers are considered one of the favorites in the CAA, as they’re coming off a 20-win campaign and return seven of their top eight scorers.
Meanwhile, the Gaels lost Aidan Mahaney and Joshua Jefferson, but they still return a strong chunk of returning talent, including WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marčiulionis.
Saint Mary’s is favored by 11.5 points on the spread and is -650 on the moneyline. The total checks in at 126.
Here’s my Towson vs. Saint Mary’s predictions and my college basketball picks for Monday.
Towson vs Saint Mary's Prediction
My pick: Saint Mary's -11.5
My Towson vs Saint Mary's best bet is on the Gaels spread, with the best odds currently available at BetMGM. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Towson vs Saint Mary's Odds, Lines, Pick
| Towson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11.5 -110 | 124.5 -110o / -110u | +500 |
| Saint Mary's Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11.5 -110 | 124.5 -110o / -110u | -700 |
- Towson vs Saint Mary's spread: Saint Mary's -11.5
- Towson vs Saint Mary's total: 124.5 points
- Towson vs Saint Mary's moneyline: Saint Mary's -700, Towson +500
- Towson vs Saint Mary's best bet: Saint Mary's -11.5
Spread
I think Saint Mary's covers the spread.
Moneyline
The moneyline has no value in this matchup.
Over/Under
Normally a low total would play into the underdogs hands, but Saint Mary's has a big advantage. I'm also not going to play this over/under.
My pick: Saint Mary's -11.5
Towson vs Saint Mary's Betting Trends to Know
- 57% of the bets and 81% of the money is on Saint Mary's ATS.
- 90% of the bets and 94% of the money is on the over.
- 89% of the bets are on Saint Mary's on the moneyline, while only 42% of the money is on the same bet.
Towson vs Saint Mary's Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | University Credit Union Pavilion, Moraga, CA |
| Date: | Monday, November 4 |
| Start Time: | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
Towson vs Saint Mary's is scheduled for a 10 p.m. ET start time, live from University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, CA, on Monday. The game is live on ESPN+.
Towson vs Saint Mary's College Basketball Betting Preview
Towson Basketball
The Tigers haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1991. But this season, Pat Skerry and Towson have a legitimate opportunity to break that streak, thanks to built-in chemistry from all their returning talents.
Towson’s biggest strength will once again come in the rebounding department, as Skerry preaches the importance of crashing the glass to his roster. In fact, the Tigers finished 30th nationally in rebounding and sixth in offensive rebounding last season.
But if the Tigers are meant to take that next step, it’s going to come from improved shooting. The Tigers finished 240th in 3-point percentage last year and struggled from the free-throw line.
While the Tigers have plenty of balance, they’ll also need a leap from Tyler Tejada, the 2023-24 CAA Rookie of the Year. The 6-foot-8 wing was the third-leading scorer on last season’s squad and could become the team’s go-to guy in 2024-25.
Saint Mary's Basketball
Last season, the Gaels won the WCC regular season title outright for the first time since 2011-12. This season, they have a chance to do it again, despite Gonzaga being the heavy favorite to re-capture the crown.
The reason behind the optimism in Moraga starts with the return of Marčiulionis. The senior guard was the team’s second-leading scorer last season (12.4 PPG) while averaging 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals.
He impacts the game in multiple areas, but it was his improved shooting that catapulted him to win WCC Player of the Year.
Beyond Marčiulionis, the Gaels also have a massive frontcourt that consists of Mitchell Saxen, Harry Wessels and Arizona transfer Paulius Murauskas. That’s a ridiculous trio for a WCC team, and they even have 6-foot-9 freshman Oliver Faubert as a fourth option.
The upside of the Gaels will be dependent on how Jordan Ross is able to step into the backcourt for Mahaney. How big of a leap does Ross make after averaging just six minutes per game last season? He surely won’t single-handedly make up for the loss of the Gaels’ leading scorer; however, he may contribute heavily to the cause, alongside freshman Mikey Lewis.
In fact, Bennett calls Lewis “buckets,” so maybe the Gaels don’t have to panic about the loss of Mahaney after all.
Towson vs Saint Mary's Betting Analysis
Both of these teams have a lot of experience and returning pieces, but I love the Saint Mary’s roster this season.
Their frontcourt will be elite, I have high expectations for Ross and Lewis in the backcourt, Marčiulionis should take yet another step with another offseason of improvement and we all know Randy Bennett is a top-notch coach.
Most importantly, for the sake of betting this game, Towson’s rebounding advantage won’t play a factor. Saint Mary’s has too much size and talent up front to get crushed on the glass, and that in turn will limit the Tigers’ second-chance opportunities.
While the Tigers actually have a great option to cover Marčiulionis (Christian May), I don’t know if Towson will be able to score enough to keep up with Saint Mary’s, especially with shaky shooting, poor free-throw shooting and limited second chances.
