The St. Mary's Gaels will try to cover the spread at McKeon Pavilion on Saturday when they get a visit from the Portland Pilots in NCAA basketball action.

The Gaels are 18-4 so far on the season, and 10-10 ATS vs. the number. The Pilots, meanwhile, are 8-15 and 5-13 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen St. Mary's go 9-8 and the Pilots go 4-9 on the totals.



View Portland vs St Marys Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks (including Sportsbook) had the Gaels installed as 19-point favorites in this particular matchup earlier in the day. Also, watch for the Sportsbook over-under value at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 106-ranked Gaels and the No. 232-rated Pilots in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 80-61 win for the Gaels on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and St. Mary's has the nation's No. 16-rated offensive output, at 77.7 PPG. The visiting Pilots defense ranks No. 184 allowing on average 66.5 PPG. The Gaels FG% has averaged 49.2% so far, more than the Pilots marksmen have achieved on the year, 41.1% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Portland owns the country's No. 179-rated mark, allowing 69.8 points per game on the highway. St. Mary's, on the other hand, rates No. 17 in scoring at home.

Last time out for Portland, they were a 70-46 loser as they battled Santa Clara on the road. They failed to cover in the match as a 15.5-point underdog. Portland was run off the court by the Broncos on Thursday as Santa Clara routed them 70-46 at Leavey Center.

St. Mary's won its last outing, a 67-63 result against San Francisco on January 30. They failed to cover in that game as an 8.5-point favorite. The Gaels grabbed a 67-63 win over the Dons on Wednesday, behind a 19-point effort from Jorden Page at War Memorial Gymnasium.


Portland Pilots Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Loyola Marymount are 3-7
After playing Santa Clara are 6-4
After a loss are 3-7

St. Mary's Gaels Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Santa Clara are 9-1
After playing San Francisco are 7-3
After a win are 8-2

Next up:
Portland home to Loyola Marymount, Thursday, February 7
St. Mary's at Santa Clara, Thursday, February 7