Saint Mary’s clinched the seventh seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament and will face the 10th seed Texas A&M on Thursday in Oklahoma City.
The Gaels (27–5, 16–2 WCC) enter as slight 2.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Aggies (21–11, 11–7 SEC) sit as a +114 underdog.
Saint Mary’s vs. Texas A&M Opening Odds
Saint Mary’s, ranked 21st nationally in the AP Poll, secured a share of the WCC regular-season title after notching a 70–59 upset win over Gonzaga in the regular-season finale on Feb. 28. The victory punctuated an eight-game winning streak, its third such heater of the season.
The Gaels came up short in the WCC semifinals, falling to Santa Clara by five points on Monday. Still, the program heads into March Madness with plenty of momentum — and boasts the nation’s 19th-most formidable defense, according to KenPom.
Texas A&M makes its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, following a fourth-place finish in the SEC.
But the Aggies — who rank top-50 on both sides of the floor on KenPom — are coming off a disappointing exit in the conference tournament, getting squashed by 20 points against Oklahoma in Thursday’s second round. They went 0–4 against nationally ranked opponents this season.
