The Saint Mary’s Gaels, led by Coach Randy Bennett and again inundated with international talent, are headed to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight year and 11th overall under Bennett. This time around, the Gaels drew a matchup with No. 10 seed Vanderbilt.
Gaels Brace for Giant-Killer Commodores
Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s’ coach of 24 years, has constructed another international juggernaut of a roster this season. He’s got three Australians, per usual, a Canadian, and two Lithuanians, including two-time WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis. Bennett also has a bevy of talented west-coasters on the squad.
The result was similar to past seasons: a 28-5 overall record and a 17-1 West Coast Conference mark that ensured at least a share of the regular-season conference title for the third straight year. That’s saying something with league behemoth Gonzaga constantly hovering in the Pacific Northwest.
Bennett was rewarded for his leadership, as he was named the WCC’s Coach of the Year for the fourth straight time and seventh overall.
His players also hauled in the silverware. In addition to Marciulionis’ POY nod, fellow Lithuanian Paulius Murauskas won the league’s Newcomer of the Year award.
Mitchell Saxon was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row, and Mikey Lewis was named Sixth Man of the Year.
Now, despite a disappointing 58-51 setback to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship game, the Gaels are heading to March Madness for the fourth straight year and 11th time overall during Bennett’s tenure.
Saint Mary’s, the East Region’s No. 7 seed, heads to Cleveland, Ohio, to take on No. 10 seed Vanderbilt Friday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. ET. The Commodores, under first-year coach Mark Byington, are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2017.
Byington, who led James Madison to the tournament before moving on to Nashville, guided the Commodores’ 11-game turnaround. Vanderbilt, picked last in the SEC in the preseason, finished 20-12 with five ranked wins over Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss.
Their 5-6 record against top-25 opponents exemplifies the SEC’s strength, as the Commodores finished 12th in the league.
That record against ranked teams contrasts heavily with Saint Mary’s. Thanks to Gonzaga’s slight fall, the Gaels did not play a ranked squad. However, their two regular-season wins over the Bulldogs do stand out, though.
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Saint Mary’s will be tough to beat if the game runs at a slower tempo, as they prefer to do. They are tough on the boards, so with fewer possessions, Vanderbilt will need to be more efficient. Marciulionis, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis, averaged 14.1 points to lead the Gaels and added 6.1 assists per game.
Murauskas (12.5 ppg, 8 rpg), Saxen (10.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg), and Luke Barrett (9.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) could make for a long afternoon in the paint for Vanderbilt, which counters with Jason Edwards (17 ppg) and Devin McGlockton (10.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg).
Bennett’s team lost to Grand Canyon in the first round of last year’s tournament but has advanced to the second round twice in the past three years.
However, the Gaels have not reached the tournament’s second weekend in 15 years. Bennett and his teams have been the epitome of consistency, but Saint Mary’s would love to end the cycle of short stays in the “Big Dance.”
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