Santa Clara vs Saint Mary’s WCC Tournament Semifinal Prediction & Best Bets: Can the Broncos Derail the Gaels’ Title Quest?

While Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s are locked into NCAA Tournament spots, many bubble teams around the country will be playing close attention to the West Coast Conference tournament semifinals tonight, in the hopes that the Gaels (versus Santa Clara) and Bulldogs (versus San Francisco) advance to meet each other in tomorrow night’s championship game.

Santa Clara vs Saint Mary’s Game Information

• Matchup: Santa Clara Broncos vs Saint Mary’s Gaels
• Location: Paradise, Nevada (Orleans Arena)
• Date: Monday, March 11, 2024
• Time: 9:00 pm ET (7:00 pm local time)
• Broadcast: ESPN

Saint Mary’s won’t be making a perfect run through the West Coast Conference this season, but the Gaels have a chance to sweep the regular season and conference titles for just the third time in program history.

Also, with wins tonight and tomorrow night, they could enhance their seeding position in the field of 68. As of today’s bracketology updates at ESPN, Saint Mary’s is an #8 seed, while they are a #7 seed at CBS Sports.

Will there be a spoiler in either semifinal? Santa Clara has had yet another solid season under Herb Sendek, which includes the Broncos’ first win over Gonzaga since 2011, as well as wins over Stanford, Oregon, and Washington State.

Santa Clara may well be NIT-bound for a third straight season, but after reaching the conference tournament semifinals for just the third time in Sendek’s eight seasons, they are two wins away from the program’s first trip to the Big Dance since 1996.

Unfortunately, the odds indicate a bleak outlook for the Broncos, who were no match for the Gaels in both regular season meetings.

Santa Clara vs Saint Mary’s Odds

Odds are via BetOnline, a longtime fixture in the sports betting industry. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then grab yourself a nice sign-up bonus to bet on today’s NCAA basketball action.

Spread

• Santa Clara +11.5 (-112)
• Saint Mary’s -11.5 (-108)

Over/Under

• Over 135 (-113)
• Under 135 (-107)

Moneyline

• Santa Clara +520
• Saint Mary’s -700

Looking for more men’s college hoops picks for tonight’s schedule? Our NCAA basketball picks page features moneyline, spread, and total (over/under) picks for all of today’s top games. That includes the other West Coast Conference semifinal matchup, San Francisco vs Gonzaga.

Santa Clara vs Saint Mary’s Prediction and Picks

Santa Clara vs Saint Mary’s Betting Analysis and Prediction

In short, does Santa Clara have a chance against Saint Mary’s?

In theory, yes. On a neutral court and with nothing to lose, anything can happen.

But the Broncos managed only 49 points in a 24-point home loss to the Gaels, and they trailed by double digits for most of their 82-77 loss in Moraga on January 31.

That’s not an easy gap to close, even if the Gaels don’t need this win in the way that the Broncos do.

That said, Santa Clara has a little momentum going after a solid win over San Francisco to close out the regular season and routing San Diego 104-79 in the tournament quarterfinals on Saturday.

They also have talent, led by Gonzaga slayer Adama-Alpha Bal (14.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.1 APG) and Carlos Marshall Jr. (12.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 41.3% 3PT), and they are shooting a respectable 35.1% from three.

Also, the Broncos crash the offensive boards well, ranking 29^th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage. In their loss at Saint Mary’s, they had 16 offensive rebounds, which helped them outrebound the Gaels and make the game respectable after falling behind by as much as 25 in the second half.

Ultimately, I don’t think we’ll see an upset here. That’s good news for March Madness bubble teams.

However, I do think that Santa Clara, who is 6-7 SU and 9-3-1 ATS as an underdog this season, including 3-4 SU and 6-1 ATS as an underdog against WCC foes, will keep it close enough to cover.

Prediction: Saint Mary’s to win, Santa Clara to cover

Santa Clara vs Saint Mary’s Best Bets

Santa Clara +11.5 (-112) & Adama-Alpha Bal over 12.5 points (+106)

Bal has been inconsistent, scoring in single digits eight times this season. And in the home loss to Saint Mary’s, he made only 1 of 9 shots from the field and was held to only four points.

But if the Broncos are to have a shot at competing, they will need the better version of him to show up tonight.

The better version of him scored 25 points in the win over Oregon, 23 points in the win at Stanford, 23 points in the win over Washington State, and 24 in Saturday’s win over San Diego, as well as post solid efforts in the win over Gonzaga (17 points, six assists) and the loss at Saint Mary’s (18 points).

Given that this is a fairly low number (especially given his scoring average for the season), that he has scored 13+ points 19 times this season, and the number of opportunities to score tonight, I love the value here, even with his poorer performances in mind.

Other NCAA Basketball Betting Information

Where Can You Bet on NCAA Basketball?

Throughout the college basketball season, you can find NCAA basketball odds at the top online sports betting sites. That includes prominent names like BetDSI, BetOnline, BetUS, and Bovada.

Along with game odds, many sportsbooks offer men’s and women’s March Madness futures odds, Final Four odds, Wooden Award odds, and more.

If you are unfamiliar with any of these sites, check out our sportsbook reviews to learn more about them. Our reviews analyze available betting options, deposit and payout options, mobile and live betting, and the sportsbook sign-up bonuses and other promos offered.

• BetDSI Sportsbook Review
• BetOnline Sportsbook Review
• BetUS Sportsbook Review
• Bovada Sportsbook Review
• MyBookie Sportsbook Review

Interested in Learning More About Betting on NCAA Basketball?

If you are interested in learning more about betting on NCAA basketball, check out our college basketball betting guide. It covers the basics of wagering on the action from the Mountain West to the MAAC and beyond.

• College Basketball Betting Guide: How to Bet on NCAA Basketball in 2024

Also, check out our March Madness guide, and learn valuable March Madness betting tips, where you can find the best March Madness bracket challenges, who the Final Four favorites are, and much more.

• March Madness Guide

Also, follow Betting News on X/Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok to get more daily NCAA basketball betting insight from myself and the rest of our team.

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Where will Saint Mary’s be in the field for the $200,000 Bracket Madness contest at BetOnline? Selection Sunday and the start of the contest aren’t until Sunday, March 17, but the contest is now open for entry fees. In the meantime, you can take advantage of their 100% cryptocurrency welcome bonus and build your bankroll for March Madness.