Saint Mary’s Gaels
West Coast (22-11, 11-7)
Saint Mary’s started off strong during the 2013-2014 campaign. They beat Louisiana Tech, Akron, North Dakota State, Murray State and Boise State en route to a 9-0 start. Those may not sound like great wins, but each is certainly a good win. But after that the Gaels lost three in Hawaii and were up and down in WCC play, ending at 11-7 in conference play.
Big Wins: 11/14 North Dakota State (78-65), 12/14 at Boise State (82-74), 1/11 San Francisco (88-73)
Bad Losses: 12/22 vs South Carolina (71-78), 12/25 vs George Mason (63-65), 1/9 Santa Clara (55-57)
Coach: Randy Bennett (13 seasons at Saint Mary’s)
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Randy Bennett has five players who average at least 25 minutes per game. And they are five very good players. Point guard Stephen Holt rarely leaves the floor and will have the ball in his hands when a game is on the line. The senior averages 14.9 points and 4.0 assists and shoots 43.9 percent from beyond the arc. James Walker III and Kerry Carter are a couple more quality shooters, although lack the ability to create space for themselves as well as Holt. Up front, Brad Waldow and Beau Levesque do an admirable job in the paint. Waldow spends all of his time in the paint and averages team highs with 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Levesque is a stretch forward who is tough to defend.
Why They Can Disappoint:
After the big five, the Gaels do not have many options. Sophomore guard Jordan Giusti and junior forward Garrett Jackson eat up most of the other minutes. Jackson brings some tough rebounding to the floor and helped Saint Mary’s rank second in the West Coast Conference in rebound margin, but that’s about it. There is certainly a drop in production when somebody needs a rest or runs into foul trouble. And foul trouble is an issue that bites the Gaels every once in a while. Waldow is the player that this team cannot afford to spend too much time on the bench. Levesque and Jackson stand just 6-6 and 6-5, respectively, and Coach Rose has not shown much confidence in the other big bodies down the bench.
Probable Starters:
Stephen Holt, Senior, Guard, 14.9 ppg, 4.0 apg
Jordan Giusti, Sophomore, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 1.2 apg
James Walker III, Senior, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 1.3 apg
Beau Levesque, Senior, Forward, 9.4 ppg, 2.4 apg, 5.4 rpg
Brad Waldow, Junior, Forward, 15.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kerry Carter, Junior, Guard, 9.5 ppg
Garrett Jackson, Junior, Forward, 4.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.6 (132nd in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.7 (64, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.5 (112, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.8 (236, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.2 (80, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.4 (36, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.3 (131, 6)
Rebound Margin: 4.4 (47, 2)
Assists Per Game: 12.7 (173, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (80, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA First Round win over Middle Tennessee
2013 NCAA Second Round loss to Memphis
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Purdue
2011 NIT First Round loss to Kent State
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Richmond
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Villanova
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Baylor
2009 NIT First Round win over Washington State
2009 NIT Second Round win over Davidson
2009 NIT Quarterfinal loss to San Diego State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Miami
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Southern Illinois
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
