Pepperdine vs. Saint Mary's odds, picks and predictions
The Waves are wearing Cinderella's slipper, at least in terms of the WCC Tournament. Pepperdine went 10-21 in the regular season, but has dispatched the Portland Pirates, Oregon State Beavers and the Santa Clara Broncos in the past 3 days to advance to the semifinals.
Pepperdine was a 10.5-point underdog in the third round against the Beavers, winning 77-73, and it was 15.5-point underdog in the quarterfinals against Santa Clara, winning 78-76. F Stefan Todorovic and G Moe Odum each went for 19 points in the win over the Broncos Sunday.
While the Waves were winning 3 games in 3 days, the Gaels have been resting, courtesy of the bye it clinched after earning the No. 1 seed in the WCC.
Saint Mary's pounded Pepperdine 74-50 on Jan. 18 in Malibu as a 13.5-point favorite as the Under (140) cashed. It also blasted the Waves 71-41 at home in Moraga on Jan. 2 as a 17-point favorite as the Under (141.5) hit then, too. F Luke Barrett averaged 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in the 2 games vs. Pepperdine.
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Pepperdine vs. Saint Mary's odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook's; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:26 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML) : Pepperdine +1500 (bet $100 to win $1,500) | Saint Mary's -5000 (bet $5,000 to win $100)
: Pepperdine +1500 (bet $100 to win $1,500) | Saint Mary's -5000 (bet $5,000 to win $100) Against the spread : Pepperdine +20.5 (-110) | Saint Mary's -20.5 (-110)
: Pepperdine +20.5 (-110) | Saint Mary's -20.5 (-110) Over/Under (O/U): 136.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Pepperdine vs. Saint Mary's picks and predictions
Prediction
Saint Mary's 82, Pepperdine 59
Stay away from Saint Mary's (-5000), either straight up or as part of a multi-leg parlay. There is no way to justify risking 50 times your potential return.
While Pepperdine (+1500) has been no match for the Gaels this season, the Waves are on a roll in the WCC Tournament, and you just never know.
PASS.
SAINT MARY'S -20.5 (-110) is worth a look in this WCC semifinal tilt.
Pepperdine +20.5 (-110) has pulled off the unexpected, winning 3 games in 3 days. The Waves have not only covered all 3 outings, but the past 2 have been outright wins as a double-digit underdog. But, facing Saint Mary's is an entirely different animal than facing Oregon State or Santa Clara.
The ranked Gaels have not only won 8 in a row in this series, but Saint Mary's has won the past 6 meetings by 24 or more points, covering 7 straight in the series.
OVER 136.5 (-110) is worth a play, even though the Under cashed in both regular-season meetings.
Pepperdine has cashed high in 2 of 3 WCC Tournament games, while the Over is 5-2 in the past 7 games since Feb. 20.
For Saint Mary's, the Over-Under has split 2-2 in the past 4 outings. The Gaels allow just 60.8 points per game, which ranks No. 5 in the nation, so proceed with caution. However, the Gaels should be able to roll up enough offense against a foe it knows too well.
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