The Saint Mary’s men’s basketball team has clinched at least a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season championship for a third straight season. The Gaels (26-4, 16-1 WCC) have won the outright title in back-to-back years for the first time in program history. Saint Mary’s will try to set the program record for conference wins in a season tonight at home against Oregon State (20-10, 20-7).
No. 23 Saint Mary’s has won six straight games, including a 74-67 victory over Gonzaga. The Gaels swept the Bulldogs this season for the first time since 2015-16.
St. Mary’s is No. 18 in the NET rankings and No. 19, according to Kenpom. The Gaels are 4-2 against Quad 1 teams and 6-2 against those in Quad 2. They’re poised for their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament berth and could be staring at a top-five seed.
Oregon State and Washington State joined the WCC this year after the Pac-12 dissolved thanks to defections to the Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC. The Beavers and Cougars will be in the conference until the Pac-12 re-launches in 2026, and they’ll be taking Gonzaga with them.
The Beavers are in a battle for a top-four seed in the WCC Tournament, which kicks off March 6 in Las Vegas and will be televised on ESPN. They’re neck-and-neck with Santa Clara for fourth place in the conference. They split regular-season meetings, with Oregon State losing, 82-81, in overtime on Jan. 9 but winning the rematch, 83-69, in Corvallis, Oregon, on Jan. 25.
The Beavers are coming off a 74-72 loss to San Francisco, which will face Gonzaga tonight with the No. 2 seed in the WCC Tournament on the line.
Oregon State at Saint Mary’s Odds
St. Mary’s is a 12.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM, and the Over/Under is 129.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -900 for St. Mary’s and +600 for Oregon State.
Oregon State at Saint Mary’s on TV
The West Coast Conference game featuring Oregon State and Saint Mary’s will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
Oregon State at Saint Mary’s Prediction
I predict St. Mary’s wins, 68-62.
The Gaels aren’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard this year, but they play suffocating defense and dominate on the boards. St. Mary’s is giving up 60.7 points a game, which leads the WCC and ranks No. 4 in the country. The Gaels also lead the conference with 39.5 rebounds a game.
Oregon State is giving up 68.7 points a night, which ranks No. 3 in the WCC, but the Beavers are averaging just 33.7 rebounds, which ranks No. 10 in the 11-team league.
St. Mary’s is home to the WCC’s top two rebounders: Paulius Murauskas, who leads the conference with 8.2 boards a game, and Mitchell Saxen, who is tied for second in the conference with 7.9 a night. Their teammate, Luke Barrett, is averaging 6.5 rebounds a game.
Oregon State’s top rebounder is Michael Rataj, who is averaging 7.6 a night. He’s also scoring 17.6 points a game, which ranks No. 3 in the conference.
St. Mary’s leading scorer is reigning WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis, who is putting up 14 points a night. Murauskas is averaging 13 points a night.
The Gaels will have to find a way to produce more points if they’re going to put together a NCAA Tournament run, but the way they play defense and collect rebounds will make them tough to beat no matter who they face.
