San Francisco vs. LMU: Odds & Insights | January 8, 2026
Written by: Colby Marchio
Last Update: Thu Jan 08, 2026, 2:41 pm ET
Read Time: 4 minutes
ncaab
West Coast Conference action closes the night as San Francisco heads to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount. This matchup profiles as a grind from the opening tip. Both teams prefer to play at a slow pace and lean heavily on defense to control games. Loyola Marymount owns a strong interior defense but continues to struggle on the offensive end, especially at the free throw line. San Francisco brings a disciplined, physical defense that travels well, even if the offense has dipped on the road. With tempo expected to be limited and scoring chances hard to find, this game shapes up as a physical, low scoring battle from start to finish.
Write Up Transparency
Be sure to follow me on X/Twitter @C_marchio2 to get my full card every day! Picks are always FREE.
Last 7 Days: 7-10 (-4.68 Units)
Last 30 Days: 24-33 (-14.78 Units)
Rough week. Full fade.
San Francisco vs. LMU Odds
Can the Dons sneak past the Lions on the road?
You can find all of these great College Basketball odds on Lucky Rebel. Get a $1,250 deposit bonus & 50 Slot Spins when you sign up!
Spread
San Francisco: +1.0 (-118)
LMU: -1.0 (-103)
Total
Over: 141.0 (-107)
Under: 141.0 (-113)
Moneyline
San Francisco: -112
LMU: -108
San Francisco vs. LMU Bet
I love nothing more than ending my day with a little West Coast Conference hoops. The San Francisco Dons head to Los Angeles to take on the Loyola Marymount Lions. The hometown Lions are coming off getting their tails ripped off by Gonzaga on Sunday, losing 82 to 47 as 25.5-point underdogs. The Dons have been sneaking past their last five opponents, going 4-1 straight up and 2-3 against the spread. With them listed as a short underdog, maybe they finally cover their first number since December 28. Do not worry about that part though, because we are not concerned with who wins this game. We are riding with the under.
Points should be at a premium in this WCC matchup, as both San Francisco and LMU prefer to play at a slow pace. The Dons rank 310th in tempo per Haslametrics, while the Lions sit 247th. In conference play, these two teams rank as the eighth and ninth slowest in the WCC. Beyond tempo, both teams are far more dominant on the defensive end than on offense. Each allows roughly 69 points per game, while scoring around 73 points per contest.
Loyola Marymount has maintained a top 75 defense this season and has done an exceptional job protecting the interior, keeping opponents off the free throw line and limiting three-point attempts. They also rank 50th in effective field goal percentage defense. The offense, however, has struggled in several key areas, including free throw rate, free throw percentage and offensive rebounding. All three rank in the bottom 110 nationally. Their free throw shooting is the second worst in the country at just 63.1%. Overall, the offense ranks 232nd per Bart Torvik.
San Francisco is one of my favorite mid-major teams in the country. They are consistently well rounded, but the offense has sputtered on the road this season. In a small sample of four true road games, the Dons rank outside the top 100 in effective field goal percentage offense, offensive rebounding, three-point shooting and offensive block percentage. The defense more than makes up for it. They still own a top 60 defense that excels at protecting the paint, staying disciplined and defending the perimeter. Through 17 games, they rank 45th in effective field goal percentage defense.
I fully expect both offenses to struggle. Neither defense allows clean looks from deep and both are strong when it comes to controlling the glass. This one sets up as a full blown rock fight in Los Angeles. Cue up Men at Work and give me the under at 141.
Best Bet: Full Game Under 141 (-113) on Lucky Rebel
NCAAB Betting News NCAAB Betting News NCAAB Betting News NCAAB Betting NewsMore NCAAB News
NCAA Expands March Madness Tournament to 76 Teams Beginning in 2027
NCAA Basketball Transfer Portal Update: Portal Entries and New Signings
NCAA Basketball Coaching Changes: Where Are They Now?
#2 UConn vs. #1 Michigan Picks and Predictions: National Championship
Follow me on X @C_marchio2 for all of my picks and sports opinions!
Be sure to check out all things Betting News on X and Twitch!
While you are at it go get some merch at our Betting News Store!
In need of a sportsbook? Check out one of our favorites below and sign-up for a bonus!
Check Out All of Our Resources at Betting News
Former D1 (club) baseball player, Colby has been betting since his college days at DePaul, where he had to endure the worst collegiate basketball the Big East has ever seen. He is an advanced analytics nerd and has never seen an underdog he has not liked. Hot. Corn. Bull. It does not matter the dog he loves them all.
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.