Posted on 3/3/2008 6:25:06 PM

College Basketball Point Spreads - Saint Mary's vs. Portland Pilots

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: SAINT MARY'S -13, Total 134

The Saint Mary's Gaels (24-5 SU, 15-11 ATS), looking for some measure of redemption after losing to their top West Coast Conference rival this past weekend, and so they will travel to Portland with a little fire in their eyes, as they take on the Portland Pilots (9-20 SU, 8-18 ATS) in a game that is set to get underway at 10 PM ET at the Chiles Center.

In the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds, Saint Mary's is listed as a 13-point favorite, with a total of 134 points.

Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* STM has covered two of its last six games

* STM has won 17 of its last 21 games SU

* STM has played eight of its last 11 games UNDER the total

* STM has won five of its last seven road games SU

* STM has played four of its last six road games UNDER the total

* PORT has covered one of its last six games

* PORT has lost four of its last five games SU

* PORT has played six of its last nine games UNDER the total

* STM has covered four of the last five meetings

* STM has won 11 of the last 13 meetings SU

* Four of the last five meetings have gone UNDER the total

* STM has covered seven of the last ten meetings as the road team

* STM has won five of the last six meetings SU as the road team

* STM has had the shooting edge in four of the last five meetings

* STM has had the rebounding edge in nine of the last ten meetings

* STM has made more three-pointers in each of the last ten meetings

The crowds in the Chiles Center are customarily not sufficient enough to generate a true home court advantage, especially against a team that has such a decided edge in talent. St. Mary's is in that class. And the Gaels, though virtually assured of a spot in the NCAA's, do not want to drop further down the Selection Committee's list when it comes to seeding. After a decisive loss to Gonzaga on Saturday night, they are staring that in the face if they don't come back strong.

St. Mary's didn't appear to have any trouble delivering the knockout blow in either of the last two meetings - a 40-point win at the Chiles Center a year ago, and a 37-point win at home on February 2. And though we appreciate Portland's inspired performance in a 64-58 upset of Santa Clara this past Saturday, we also recognize that the Pilots made an uncharacteristic eight shots from three-point range, benefited from an off night by Santa Clara's John Bryant (just one of six from the field and nine total points), and did little to inspire confidence in 13 games previous to that.

Nik Raivio, one of Portland's only scoring threats, has been slowed by a knee injury that kept him out of a recent game with Gonzaga and limited him to 14 minutes and one field goal in the Santa Clara game. Since he's not 100%, it will not help. Meanwhile, center Omar Samhan has returned to the lineup for Saint Mary's, and even though his shoulder still bothers him, he is a physical presence Portland can't line up against with Luke Sikma.

Because they may see a sense of urgency attached to this one, we will lay the points with the Saint Mary's Gaels, the 13-point favorites in the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: SAINT MARY'S

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)