Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Santa Clara Broncos Picks and Prediction for Saturday, January 17, 2026
It’s a contest of teams from the WCC on the hardwood as the Saint Mary’s Gaels battle the Santa Clara Broncos Saturday night and we have you covered with our Saint Mary’s vs. Santa Clara prediction. Saint Mary’s dropped San Francisco 82-68 on the road Tuesday night, covering the line as a 5.5-point favorite, in their previous contest. Santa Clara comes in off an 85-69 home whipping of Pacific Wednesday night, covering the line as a 12.5-point favorite, in their previous game. In the all-time series between the programs, the Gaels own a 34-13 advantage and claimed the last eight meetings, including a 73-64 road win in the most recent matchup February 11, 2025. Read more about this Saint Mary’s vs. Santa Clara prediction! Get our top NCAAB Betting Picks and increase your bankroll!
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Gaels Look to Run Win Streak to Nine
Saint Mary’s earned an eighth straight win as they rolled past San Francisco on the road in their previous contest. The Gaels improved to 17-2 overall and are tied for the top spot in the WCC with a 6-0 mark on the year. Against San Francisco, Saint Mary’s trailed 10-7 five minutes into the game before ripping off a 23-4 run to lead 30-14 with 9:28 to go in the opening half and rolled from there. The Gaels were up 42-28 at the half, saw the Dons get within three with 4:13 remaining and closed the game on a 14-3 run to earn the win. Saint Mary’s shot 49.1% from the floor, including eight of 15 from beyond the arc, and controlled the glass by a 41-26 margin. Paulius Murauskas led the Gaels with 21 points in the win.
On the year, Saint Mary’s is averaging 79.9 points per game to this point, putting them 121st in the nation in scoring offense. The Gaels are hauling down an average of 39.6 rebounds a night (49th) while handing out 15.4 assists a night on the year. Saint Mary’s is allowing an average of 65.1 points per game so far this season, putting them 19th in the nation in scoring defense. Paulius Murauskas leads the Gaels and is one of three players averaging in double figures as he puts up 19.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a night this season. Joshua Dent (13.4 points) and Mikey Lewis (13.6 points) are solid secondary options. Andrew McKeever, Dillan Shaw, Liam Campbell, Harry Wessels, Tony Duckett, Kevin Gad and Rory Hawke are looked at to contribute offensively to help their leading scorers. The Gaels are shooting 47.4% from the field as a team on the year coming into this contest. Saint Mary’s has connected on 7.7 three-pointers per contest on the year while they are shooting 38.6% from beyond the arc. The Gaels are shooting a sizzling 82% from the charity stripe on the year, putting them 1st in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Saint Mary’s:
- Forward Kevin Gad (shoulder) is out.
Santa Clara Shoots to Hand Gaels First WCC Loss
Santa Clara won their second straight and their sixth in the last seven games as they took care of business at home against Pacific. The Broncos ran their mark to 15-5 overall on the season and sit third in the WCC with a 6-1 mark on the year. Against Pacific, Santa Clara trailed by as many as eight in the early stages of the contest but rallied to lead 44-42 at the half. The Broncos trailed 47-46 early in the second half before taking control of the game with an 18-3 run to go up 64-50 with 9:54 to play and cruised the rest of the way. Santa Clara shot 48.3% from the floor, including 10 of 27 from three-point range, and forced 21 Pacific turnovers, which they converted into 28 points. Christian Hammond led the Broncos with 18 points in the win.
The Broncos put up an average of 83.4 points per game on the season, putting them 72nd in the nation in scoring offense. Santa Clara collects 36.6 rebounds per contest while dishing out 17.9 assists a night on the year. The Broncos are above average on the defensive end, ranking 117th in the nation by allowing 71.4 points per contest this season. Christian Hammond leads the team with 16.4 points plus 2.6 assists per game this season. Elijah Mahi (14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds) and Allen Graves (9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds) are solid secondary scoring options. Bukky Oboye, Sash Gavalyugov, Brenton Knapper, Thierry Darlan, Jake Ensminger, KJ Cochran and Francis Chukwudebelu are critical pieces of Herb Sendek’s rotation. Santa Clara is hitting 46.6% of their shots from the field on the year. The Broncos are drilling 10 threes (46th) a night but the team has connected on 33.1% (234th) of their long range attempts. Santa Clara has been decent at the free throw line as they stand at 72.9% shooting at the charity stripe so far this year.
Key Injury Report for Santa Clara:
- No Key Injuries
Saint Mary’s vs. Santa Clara Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ben Burns | +1,203.00 |
| 2 |  Joseph D'Amico | +791.00 |
| 3 |  Bryan Power | +507.00 |
| 4 |  MIT Simulator | +449.00 |
| 5 |  Joe Duffy | +374.00 |
Saint Mary’s vs. Santa Clara Moneyline Pick
- Saint Mary’s -110 (4 units)
This is a great clash between a pair of strong mid-major programs battling for the top spot in the WCC. Saint Mary’s has had success in this series, taking the last eight meetings, and they have the advantage on the defensive end of the floor. Santa Clara is rather heavy on perimeter shooting as they knock down double-digit triples a night but they aren’t overly efficient in that department. The Gaels, meanwhile, hold opposing teams to 30.4% shooting from beyond the arc this season. Saint Mary’s is capable offensively and they are the nation’s top team in free throw shooting. That could prove to be the difference in a tight game. Take Saint Mary’s on the road here.
Saint Mary’s vs. Santa Clara Over/Under Pick
- Under 157.5 (4 units)
The Gaels have seen the under post a 9-9 mark on the season entering this game. Saint Mary’s is 45th in defensive efficiency, 40th in effective field goal percentage defense (47.2%), 13th in allowed offensive rebounding percentage (25%), 52nd in field goal percentage defense (40.8%) and 52nd in two-point defense (46.9%) this season. The Gaels grind the clock, ranking 276th in tempo with just 66 possessions a game and they extend possessions, ranking 23rd in offensive rebounding percentage, collecting boards on 37.5% of their own misses. Santa Clara has seen the over post a 13-6 mark in their 19 games with a posted total entering this one. The Broncos stand 40th in offensive efficiency, 77th in effective field goal percentage (54.2%), 8th in offensive rebounding percentage (39.7%) and 25th in threes per game. Santa Clara is 74th in adjusted tempo with 70.1 possessions per game. The Gaels slow this one down enough to help keep this one under the number.
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