Saint Mary’s Gaels
West Coast (26-8, 11-5)
Saint Mary’s built off their West Coast Conference tournament title last by winning 24 games in the regular season and contended all year long for the regular season title. The Gaels are a resilient bunch as they got off to an 11-2 start before losing starting forward/center Matthias Tass to a season ending ACL injury. It took a little bit of time for Saint Mary’s to adjust to life without Tass, but as they head into the postseason, they look like one of those teams that could cause some problems for a higher seed.
Big Wins: 11/5 vs Wisconsin (65-63), 12/18 vs Arizona State (95-56), 1/9 BYU (87-84)
Bad Losses: 11/11 Winthrop (59-61), 1/4 at Pacific (99-107), 1/11 Santa Clara (66-67)
Coach: Randy Bennett
Why They Can Surprise:
Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts are a dynamic 1-2 punch that will dictate how far the Gaels will go in the NCAA Tournament. Ford can beat you attacking the basket and from the perimeter on any given night as he is averaging 21.9 points per game on the year. Fitts, is averaging 16.5 points per game and is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor as well. As a team, Saint Mary’s is very effective shooting the basketball from the field as they are making 48.3 percent of their shots from the floor as a team. They are also scoring well over 70 points per game, which will give them a shot to win any game in the NCAA Tournament. They also have some good wins over Wisconsin, Arizona State and BYU where they won scoring as few as 65 points and as many as 96 in the win over the Sun Devils.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Gaels are not elite defensively as they are allowing teams to score 66.9 points per game and shoot 45.2 percent from the floor as well. If Saint Mary’s doesn’t force opponents into enough difficult shots, they could end up exiting the NCAA Tournament earlier than they would like. The inability to force enough turnovers could end up being costly as well as the opposing teams are only turning the ball over 11.9 times per game. Also, the lack of having Tass available in the NCAA Tournament could cause the Gaels some issues if they draw a team in the first round with a deep frontcourt.
Probable Starters:
Jordan Ford, Senior, Guard, 21.9 ppg, 2.3 apg
Tanner Krebs, Redshirt Senior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 2.2 apg
Tommy Kuhse, Redshirt Junior, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 3.8 apg
Malik Fitts, Redshirt Junior, Forward, 156.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg
Dan Fotu, Sophomore, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Key Role Players:
Alex Ducas, Freshman, Guard/Forward,3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Kristers Zoriks, Redshirt Sophomore, Guard, 3.7 ppg
Jock Perry, Redshirt Junior, Center, 3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Elijah Thomas, Redshirt Junior, Forward, 2.3 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.3 (45th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.9 (110, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.3 (11, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.2 (291, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (74, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.7 (3, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.2 (44, 2)
Rebound Margin: 2.4 (112, 4)
Assists Per Game: 12.1 (252, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.8 (2, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Villanova |
| 2018 | NIT | First Round win over Southeastern Louisiana |
| 2018 | NIT | Second Round win over Washington |
| 2018 | NIT | Quarterfinal loss to Utah |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over VCU |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Arizona |
| 2016 | NIT | First Round win over New Mexico State |
| 2016 | NIT | Second Round win over Georgia |
| 2016 | NIT | Quarterfinal loss to Valparaiso |
| 2015 | NIT | First Round loss to Vanderbilt |
| 2014 | NIT | First Round win over Utah |
| 2014 | NIT | Second Round loss to Minnesota |
| 2013 | NCAA | Opening Round win over Middle Tennessee |
| 2013 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Memphis |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 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 3/8
