Saint Louis vs Georgia Odds, Predictions and Best Bets (Midwest Region)

• #8 Georgia is favored by 2.5-points over #9 Saint Louis in Round of 64 action tonight at the NCAA Tournament
• The Bulldogs were college basketball’s third highest scoring program during the regular season
• Below, you’ll find the Saint Louis vs Georgia odds, plus my favorite predictions and best bets for the Midwest Region matchup

The 2026 NCAA Tournament action heats up tonight when the No. 8 seed Georgia Bulldogs (22-10 overall, 2-2 neutral court) square off against the No. 9 seed Saint Louis Billikens (28-5 overall, 2-2 neutral court) in a 1st Round Midwest Region matchup.

Fueled by one of the best offenses in the country, Georgia enters play as a short favorite in the college basketball odds, in what should be a lower scoring game that most people expect.

Tip-off is slated for 9:50 pm ET from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY, with CBS providing the broadcast coverage nationwide.

Keep reading for the full list of Georgia vs Saint Louis odds, plus my favorite predictions and best bets for this opening round March Madness clash.

Saint Louis vs Georgia Odds

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Bulldogs are -148 moneyline favorites to advance to the 2nd Round, with the Billikens coming back as +124 underdogs. Georgia is laying 2.5-points on the spread at -102 odds, while the total sits at 169.5 points.

I’m looking to back both the Bulldogs -2.5 and the Under, as I don’t expect Saint Louis’ offensive efficiency to be high enough to keep this game close.

Odds as of March 18 at DraftKings. Make sure you use SBD’s exclusive DraftKings promo code to bet on March Madness.

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Saint Louis vs Georgia Predictions

• Georgia -2.5 (-102 at DraftKings)

Georgia enters this neutral-site coin game as a slight favorite despite sporting a lower win total than the underdog Billikens, who dominated the Atlantic 10 en route to a regular-season title. Both squads finished the regular season unranked in the final AP Top 25 poll, with the Bulldogs boasting the shorter price in the March Madness championship odds.

I am looking to back a Georgia squad that will rely on its high-powered offense led by the dynamic scoring duo of Jeremiah Wilkinson and Kanon Catchings. The pair helped propel the Bulldogs to 89.8 points per game, the third highest mark in the country.

On the other side, Saint Louis is eager to prove its gaudy win total can translate against tougher competition, leaning heavily on Robbie Avila, their 6-foot-10 senior center transfer who has been a scoring machine in the paint.

With no major news in the March Madness injuries to report for either squad, we are getting both teams at full strength for what promises to be a tightly contested battle.

Saint Louis enters play with a slightly better offensive rating, thanks to their 59.7% effective shooting percentage, but a deeper dive into their resume metrics reveals a massive disparity in competition.

Saint Louis has played exactly zero games against top-25 competition this entire season. Georgia on the other hand, navigated a grueling SEC slate, logging five matchups against ranked opponents. When mid-majors with inflated stats transition to a neutral-court environment against an SEC-caliber defense, their shooting percentages often fall off a cliff.

I am comfortably eating the chalk here. Neutral-court environments favor the team that can execute in the half-court when the game slows down, and laying a single possession with the battle-tested SEC squad is a better investment than chasing the mid-major underdog narrative. Saint Louis’s offense is likely to hit a brick wall against a defense that won’t get caught overhelping on the perimeter.

Saint Louis vs Georgia Best Bets

• Under 169.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

A total of 169.5 points is extremely high for a March Madness clash. The pressure of the NCAA Tournament naturally forces longer possessions and tighter half-court execution. Saint Louis just dropped a 70-69 heartbreaker to Dayton in the A-10 semifinals. I expect the whistle to be swallowed down the stretch, keeping this game well under the number.

If Georgia advances, it’s likely due to the play in its own end. The Bulldogs can score with anyone, but it’s defense that wins championships. For bettors looking to swing for a bigger payday, consider a same-game parlay consisting of Georgia -2.5 with Under 169.5 at +268 odds.