Boise State vs St. Mary’s Prediction 12-14-24 College Basketball Picks

The St. Mary’s Gaels and the Boise State Broncos meet Saturday in college basketball action from Mountain America Center. Here’s a Boise State vs St. Mary’s prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Boise State vs St. Mary’s pick.

St. Mary’s Gaels Betting Preview

The Gaels rattled off wins over Towson, Chattanooga, Akron, Nebraska, Stanislaus State, Cal Poly and USC before their first loss to Arizona State. St. Mary’s came back from that defeat for wins over UTSA and Utah in the next pair.

Last Saturday versus Utah, the Gaels were up 39-22 going into the second half. St. Mary’s was outscored 41-33 from there but held on for the win 72-63. Paulius Murauskas was the top team scorer on 29 points and seven rebounds.

Boise State Broncos Betting Preview

Over on the Boise State side, they beat Oakland, Corban College, Clemson, Hampton and South Dakota State in their opening 5-1 run. It’s been a 1-2 stretch since then however, featuring losses to Boston College and Washington State.

In the Cougars game last weekend, the Broncos were drilled 44-24 in the first half. Boise State got better from there with 45 more points but still lost 74-69. Andrew Meadow came off the bench to lead the team on 21 points and seven boards.

Why the Boise State Broncos will win

• Boise State has won 16 of its last 20 games against the West Coast Conference.
• Boise State has won the first half in 14 of its last 18 games against the West Coast Conference.

Why the Saint Mary’s Gaels will win

• Saint Mary’s has won 26 of its last 28 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Boise State has lost each of its last four night games played at neutral venues.
• Saint Mary’s has won the first half in each of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Boise State vs St. Mary’s Prediction

I’ll try St. Mary’s in this one. The Gaels did pretty well in their latest win over Utah (minus the 14 turnovers and 60.9 percent from the line), shooting 43.9 percent from the field with 40 rebounds. This year St. Mary’s has a few close finishes but overall they’ve been competitive and are scoring well. The Gaels have hit 71 or more points in all nine wins so far.

As for Boise State, they couldn’t overcome a rough first half in their loss to Washington State, eventually shooting a tepid 37.9 percent from the field. The Broncos have failed to hit 70 points in two of the last three games, so high-percentage shots should be a priority here. All things considered however, I like St. Mary’s to cover if the Gaels can keep the pace brisk.