San Francisco vs. Loyola Marymount Picks and Prediction for Thursday, January 8, 2026
San Francisco Dons (11-6) vs. Loyola Marymount Lions (10-7)
The 2025-26 college basketball season continues Thursday, January 8, with plenty of interesting games around the country, and in this preview, we are breaking down the West Coast Conference showdown from Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA, to get you the San Francisco vs. Loyola Marymount prediction.
The Dons meet the Lions for the first time this season, and San Francisco aims for its seventh consecutive SU and ATS victory over Loyola Marymount. The last time they met, San Francisco beat Loyola Marymount 72-66 as a 3-point road fave, and we saw a push on the total.
Now, let’s take a closer look at this San Francisco vs. Loyola Marymount prediction, one of our NCAAB picks for Thursday’s slate. The tip-off at Gersten Pavilion is set at 11:00 PM ET, and Loyola Marymount opens as a slight 1.5-point home fave with a total of 137.5 points.
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San Francisco eyes its third straight W
The San Francisco Dons (11-6; 8-8 ATS; 6-10 O/U) have won five of their last six games overall. After stopping their three-game winning streak with a 70-62 defeat at Oregon State, the Dons strung together a pair of home wins against San Diego 74-64 and Portland 73-68 to advance to 3-1 in conference play.
Last Sunday, San Francisco overcame a 17-point deficit against Portland, but the Dons failed to cover an 11.5-point spread. The Dons made just 37.9% of their field goals (8-for-24 from deep) and missed 13 of their 34 shots from the foul line. However, the Dons posted a whopping 20 offensive rebounds, and junior forward David Fuchs led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Fuchs posts 12.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while junior guard Ryan Beasley averages 13.1 points, 3.1 boards, and 3.1 assists. San Francisco scores 111.5 points per 100 possessions (118th in the country) and allows 104.5 points in return (96th). The Dons are 47th in the country in free-throw rate (.423) and 224th in free-throw percentage (70.5%).
Loyola Marymount hopes to avoid its third straight L
The Loyola Marymount Lions (10-7; 10-6 ATS; 8-8 O/U) have struggled since the start of conference play, going 1-3 SU and 3-1 ATS. After a 78-73 home loss to Saint Mary’s and an 80-71 home win over Pacific, the Lions have dropped consecutive road games against Washington State 78-76 and Gonzaga 82-47.
The Lions embarrassed themselves last Sunday, failing to cover a 25-point spread at Gonzaga. Loyola Marymount made 30.1% of its field goals (6-for-23 from downtown) while going 3-for-7 from the foul line. Junior guard Rodney Brown Jr. led the way with 11 points, as the Lions trailed by as many as 47 points.
Brown Jr. is the Lions’ leading scorer with 14.6 points per game. Senior guard MJ Amey tallies 14.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while junior guard Jan Vide averages 13.5 points and 4.5 assists. Loyola Marymount scores 104.6 points per 100 possessions (233rd in the country) and allows 101.7 points in return (63rd).
San Francisco vs. Loyola Marymount Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tony Karpinski | +2,494.00 |
| 2 |  Joe Duffy | +1,859.00 |
| 3 |  The Insiders Room | +1,788.00 |
| 4 |  Mark Ruelle | +1,428.00 |
| 5 |  Jackie Mack | +1,400.00 |
Spread Pick for San Francisco vs. Loyola Marymount
- Loyola Marymount -1.5 (5 units)
The Lions lean on their defense, so they must be fired up to bounce back from that heavy loss against Gonzaga. The Zags were too good for the Lions, and this is a much more favorable matchup for Loyola Marymount.
As I mentioned, San Francisco loves to get to the free-throw line. On the other side, Loyola Marymount is 305th in the country in free-throw rate (.296), but the Lions have done a great job keeping their rivals off the foul line (.310, 78th in opposing free-throw rate).
The Lions are 38th in opposing 3-point rate (.342) and 36th in opposing 2-point percentage (46.1%). The Dons are a top 70 team in opposing 2-point and 3-point percentage, but they rank 329th in defensive turnover percentage (14.4%). I like the Lions’ chances of finally beating the Dons.
Over/Under Pick for San Francisco vs. Loyola Marymount
- Under 137.5 (5 units)
Betting on the under looks like a way to go in this game. Both teams are capable of playing tough defense. The Dons register just 65.8 possessions per 40 minutes (307th in the country), while the Lions record 67.7 possessions per 40 minutes (221st).
The Lions make 36.4% of their shots from deep (67th), but the Dons hold their opponents to 30.7% shooting from beyond the arc (62nd). Each of San Francisco’s last four games has gone under the total, and the under is 6-3 in the last nine encounters between the Dons and Lions.
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