St. Mary’s vs Pepperdine Prediction 1/18/25 College Basketball Picks

The Saint Mary’s Gaels are visiting the Pepperdine Waves on Saturday, January 18th at the Firestone Fieldhouse. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Saint Mary’s Gaels vs Pepperdine Waves Prediction. We will examine:

The Pepperdine Waves’ recent form and player performance

Saint Mary’s Gaels’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Pepperdine Waves

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Saint Mary’s Gaels

Recent betting trends in games played between Saint Mary’s Gaels and Pepperdine Waves

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Saint Mary’s Gaels vs Pepperdine Waves game

Pepperdine Waves Preview

The Pepperdine Waves have a 7-11 record this season and are sitting in the 8th place in the West Coast. The Waves are coming off a 63-80 loss to San Francisco. The Waves are 9-8 against the spread, and 9-8 in over/under, while having a 5-4 home record.

Offensively, Pepperdine is averaging 73.7 points per game, which ranks 221st in the nation. Defensively, they allow 72.9 points per game (231st). The Waves shoot 45.7% from the field (138th) and 33.5% from beyond the arc (205th). The Waves shoot 71.5% from the free-throw line (190th) and are grabbing 36.7 rebounds per game (140th).

Stefan Todorovic leads Pepperdine in scoring this season, with an average of 19.1 points and 5.6 rebounds, while Moe Odum adds 12.8 points and a team-high 7.2 assists. 

Saint Mary’s Gaels Preview

The Saint Mary’s Gaels have a 15-3 record this season and are sitting in the first place in the West Coast. They are coming off a 103-56 win over San Diego. The Gaels are 7-10 against the spread, and 9-7-1 in over/under while having a 3-0 road record.

Offensively, Saint Mary’s is averaging 76.9 points per game, which ranks 131st in the nation. Defensively, they allow 61.7 points per game, which is the 11th-best in the nation. The Gaels shoot 45% from the field (181st) and with 33.9% from beyond the arc (186th). The Gaels shoot 69.7% from the free-throw line (245th) and are grabbing 41.7 rebounds per game, which is the 9th-best in the nation.

Augustas Marciulionis leads Saint Mary’s in scoring this season, with 14.4 points and a team-high 5.6 assists, while Paulius Murauskas adds 12.4 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds.

Why the Pepperdine Waves will win

• Pepperdine has won the first half in seven of its last nine games at Firestone Fieldhouse against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Saint Mary’s Gaels will win

• Saint Mary’s has won each of its last 12 night games against Pepperdine.
• Pepperdine has lost 36 of its last 43 night games against the West Coast Conference.
• Saint Mary’s has won the first half in each of its last seven games against the West Coast Conference.

Matchup/League Facts

• Pepperdine ranks T47th among Division 1 teams for opponent blocks per game this season (2.6).
• Saint Mary’s ranks 4th among Division 1 teams for rebound percentage this season (57.7%).
• Saint Mary’s ranks 7th among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goal attempts per game this season (17.9).

Saint Mary’s Gaels vs Pepperdine Waves Head-to-Head

Saint Mary’s is 9-1 in their last 10 meetings against Pepperdine, and are 6-0 against the spread in their last 6 meetings. Over is 4-2 in their last 6 meetings, previous meeting earlier this season, Saint Mary’s won 71-41 at home, covering the spread, as the game went under the point total.

Saint Mary’s Gaels vs Pepperdine Waves Prediction

In this Saint Mary’s Gaels vs Pepperdine Waves Prediction, Saint Mary’s is coming as -13.5 road favorites. Saint Mary’s is rightfully favored, as they are the superior team in this matchup and are coming off five consecutive wins, having covered the spread in all five. The Gaels also won their previous meeting against the Waves by 30 points and have been dominating them for the past four years. The value here lies with the road team, so take the Saint Mary’s Gaels and lay the points on the road.