Saint Marys Gaels

The Gaels won all 17 home games in 2025-26 and covered 12 of the 16 with a line, a home rate bettered by seven Division I teams and matched by four. Saint Mary’s allowed 64.56 points a game, and only six teams allowed fewer.

Home, where the number held

Saint Mary’s went 27-5 and never lost at home. The Gaels kept beating the spread there too: 12 covers in 16 lined home games, laying as many as 24.5 points. One unit on them at home made 2.36 units over 16 priced games. Away they went 8-2 and covered 6 of 10; on neutral floors the Gaels were 2-3.

The defense and the under

The Gaels allowed 64.56 points a game. Only Northern Iowa, Houston, Duke, UT Martin, Navy and Marist gave up fewer. Seventeen of 31 totals went under, and the Gaels scored 78.19 a game. February was the cleanest month: 8-0, seven covers, 2.36 units.

A winner that did not pay

Here is the catch. A 27-5 record lost 0.45 units on the moneyline over 31 priced games. Saint Mary’s was favored 27 times and won 25, which made 1.41 units at those prices. The four games as an underdog cost 1.86: one win, 70-59 over Gonzaga at +114 on 28 February, and three losses. Gonzaga split the two meetings, and Saint Mary’s covered both.

The two losses as favorites both came on neutral floors: 68-67 to Boise State at -142 in December, and 76-71 to Santa Clara at -218 in the West Coast Conference semifinal.

Santa Clara

Santa Clara was the one team to beat Saint Mary’s twice, and it was met three times: a 62-54 Broncos win in January, an 86-67 Gaels win at home in February, then the semifinal. Saint Mary’s covered only the home win. In the NCAA tournament the Gaels lost to Texas A&M in the first round.

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