Georgia vs. Saint Louis odds, March Madness predictions: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

SportsLine's model simulated the Georgia Bulldogs vs. Saint Louis Billikens and revealed its college basketball picks for this NCAA Tournament 2026 first-round matchup on Thursday

The 2026 NCAA Tournament begins in earnest on Thursday, with one of the interesting 8 vs. 9 matchups pitting the Georgia Bulldogs against the Saint Louis Billikens in the Midwest Region. No. 8 Georgia (22-10) placed seventh in the SEC standings and has won three of its last four games. No. 9 Saint Louis (28-5) won the A-10 regular season title but has lost two of its last three contests. The Dawgs lost in the first round of March Madness last year, while the Billikens are dancing for the first time since 2019.

Tipoff is at 9:45 p.m. ET from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. UGA owns a 2-0 all-time record versus Saint Louis, with the most recent matchup in 2010. The Bulldogs are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Georgia vs. Saint Louis odds, with the over/under at 168.5. Before making any Saint Louis vs. Georgia picks, check out the men's college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has simulated Saint Louis vs. Georgia 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted men's college basketball picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several men's college basketball odds and men's college basketball betting lines for Georgia vs. Saint Louis:

Saint Louis vs. Georgia spread:    

Georgia -2.5

Saint Louis vs. Georgia over/under:    

168.5 points

Saint Louis vs. Georgia money line:    

Georgia -142, Saint Louis +119

Saint Louis vs. Georgia picks:    

Saint Louis vs. Georgia TV:

CBS

Top Georgia vs. Saint Louis predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Saint Louis vs. Georgia, SportsLine's model is going Under on the total (168.5 points). The Billikens have heavily leaned under as of late as the Under is 3-1 over their last four games and 7-3 over their last 10 contests. Teams have a better read on their offense which has led to lower-scoring games as Saint Louis averaged 91.3 points over their first 23 games of the season compared to 77.8 points over their last 10.

As for Georgia, the total has not been reached in three of its four neutral-site games this season, and the Under is 6-3 for the Bulldogs over their last nine neutral-site contests dating back to last year. Georgia's last game saw just 148 combined points go on the scoreboard, which is the third-fewest across 32 games this season. With the pace of play often slowing down in postseason competition, both teams are forecasted to score fewer than their season averages. That allows the Under to hit in 60.2% of simulations.

How to make Saint Louis vs. Georgia picks

The model also says one side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Georgia vs. Saint Louis, and which side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Saint Louis vs. Georgia spread to back, all from the advanced model that has simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.