St. Mary’s vs Loyola Marymount 1/12/23 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Loyola Marymount Lions and the Saint Mary’s Gaels meet Thursday in college basketball action from McKeon Pavilion. Loyola Marymount comes into this matchup at 12-6 overall. The Lions lost to San Francisco in their last outing. As for Saint Mary’s, they’re 14-4 on the season and coming off a win over Portland. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

LMU went 8-4 over their first 12 games, losing to UC Riverside, UC Irvine, Colorado State and Utah State. The Lions are 4-2 since then with wins over Cleveland State, Tulsa, Portland and BYU alongside losses to Pacific and San Francisco. 

On Saturday versus the Dons, the Lions took a 36-32 edge into the break. LMU was outscored 40-34 from there and took a tough 72-70 defeat. Keli Leaupepe led the way on 22 points and Cameron Shelton had 17 points with seven boards. 

Over on the Saint Mary’s side, they hit a 9-3 run over their first 12 games. The losses in that time were to Washington, New Mexico and Houston. The Gaels are 5-1 since then with a loss to Colorado State as the lone blemish. 

Back on Saturday against Portland, Saint Mary’s drilled the Pilots 41-14 in the first half. Saint Mary’s kept up the onslaught with a 44-29 second-half run and won 85-43. Aidan Mahaney posted 15 points, and Mitchell Saxen doubled on 15 points and 14 boards. 

PICK: I’m staying with Saint Mary’s. This should be a pretty interesting matchup if both teams play to their capabilities, though. The Gaels have scored 66 or more points in all five games during this current win streak, and 84 or more in three of their last four. LMU has hit 70 or more in five of their last six games, so this one could turn into a high-scoring affair. Ultimately I like Saint Mary’s a little better on the cover. You could probably make a case either way, though. Should be a fun one.