St. Mary’s vs Cleveland State Prediction Basketball Picks 12-5-23

The Cleveland State Vikings and the Saint Mary’s Gaels meet Tuesday in college basketball action from McKeon Pavilion. Cleveland State beat Detroit Mercy in their last outing, improving to 6-3 on the year so far. As for Saint Mary’s, they’re 3-5 this season following a loss to Boise State on Friday. Let’s get into our Cleveland State vs. Saint Mary’s prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Cleveland State Vikings 

The Vikings lost to Duquesne in their first outing of the season, but then won five of the next six games over Defiance, Ohio, Canisius, East Tennessee State and Alabama A&M (with a loss to Eastern Michigan). Cleveland State would fall in game eight versus Youngstown State 94-69, hitting a tepid 39.3 percent from the field and getting out-rebounded 43-30. 

Cleveland State turned things around with a win over Detroit Mercy in their last outing. The Vikings were up 30-22 by halftime and added 39 more points after that for a 69-58 outcome. Leading the way in scoring was Tristan Enaruna on a double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. 

Saint Mary’s Gaels

Over on the Gaels’ side, they were able to beat Stanislaus State and New Mexico to start off the year, then took three straight losses to Weber State, San Diego State and Xavier. Saint Mary’s recovered with a win over Davidson, but then fell to Utah in the next game 78-71. The Gaels gave up 43.6 percent shooting to the Utes in the loss. 

Saint Mary’s was down 34-24 at halftime in their last matchup versus Boise State. The Gaels posted a 36-29 advantage in the second half but it wasn’t enough in a 63-60 defeat. Saint Mary’s top scorer was Aidan Mahaney with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists in the losing effort. 

ANDREW’S FREE CLEVELAND STATE VS SAINT MARY’S PREDICTION

I’ll stick with Cleveland State in this one. The Vikings weren’t overwhelming versus a struggling Detroit team in their last outing, but did well enough to get the job done. Cleveland State shot just 35.1 percent from the floor in that one, gathering 40 rebounds and just seven turnovers in the win. The Vikings have normally scored pretty well this year though, hitting 69 or more points in eight of nine games. 

As for Saint Mary’s, they were pretty miserable from 3-point range (2-of-14) and had 14 turnovers versus Boise State in their last matchup. The Gaels have posted 60 or fewer points in four of their five losses this year, so if they’re not hitting shots early I don’t see a cover happening.