| Saint Mary's College Gaels | |||
| 2011–12 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team | |||
| University | Saint Mary's College of California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Conference | WCC | ||
| Location | Moraga, CA | ||
| Head coach | Randy Bennett (10th year) | ||
| Arena | McKeon Pavilion (Capacity: 3,500) |
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| Nickname | Gaels | ||
| Colors | Red and Blue
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| Uniforms | |||
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| NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | |||
| 1959 | |||
| NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1959, 2010 | |||
| NCAA Tournament Round of 32 | |||
| 1959, 2010 | |||
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
| 1959, 1989, 1997, 2005, 2008, and 2010. | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 1997, 2010. | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| 1959, 1980, 1989, 1997,[1] 2011 | |||
The Saint Mary's College Gaels men's basketball team represents Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California, competing in the West Coast Conference of the NCAA. The team plays home games in the McKeon Pavilion, capacity 3,500; it is one of the smaller gyms in the WCC. The current head coach is Randy Bennett, who is the school's all-time wins leader.[2] The Gaels have appeared in the NCAA Tournament six times: 1959, 1989, 1997, 2005, 2008, and 2010.
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Saint Mary's basketball and volleyball teams play their home games at the McKeon Pavilion, which has a capacity of 3,500. It was named after George R. McKeon, a former member of the college's Board of Regents.[3] Constructed in 1978, it underwent renovations in the summer of 2006, with new features including painted bleachers, new chair backseats behind the reserved section, a remodeled VIP section, and a banner with "GaelForce" on it behind the student section.[4]
Under coach Randy Bennett, the men's basketball team has become recognized nationally as one of the top mid-major programs in the United States. He inherited a 2-27 team when he arrived in 2001, and began recruiting an Australian named Adam Caporn. Since then, Bennett has built a reputation of recruiting Australian players.[5] With Caporn in the line-up, Saint Mary's improved to 9-20 record in 2001-02, a 15-15 record in 2002-03, and 19-12 in 2003-04. In 2004-05, the team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, although they lost in the first round. Their 15-1 record in McKeon Pavilion was its best in its history.[2]
After rebuilding seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07, the team enjoyed one of their best seasons in school history in 2007-08, behind the play of Australian freshman Patty Mills. The team was ranked in the AP and USA Today top 25 lists for five and six weeks, respectively. They ended up receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in 2008 as well, but again lost in the first round.[2] In 2008, the team got off to a strong start, going 14-2 before Mills broke his hand and missed a month.[6] Mills came back in time for the West Coast Conference Tournament, but after a loss to Gonzaga in the WCC tournament finals, the team was not selected for the NCAA tournament and played in the NIT. After the end of the year, Mills declared for the NBA draft and was a 2nd round selection.[2]
In March 2010, the Gaels received an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, after winning the championship game of the WCC Tournament. Having beaten Gonzaga in the tournament final, it was the Gaels' second WCC tournament victory since it began in 1987.[7] In 2010, they won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1959, defeating the Richmond Spiders. On March 20, 2010, the Gaels, led by Omar Samhan, defeated second seeded Villanova to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, for their first time in the 64 team era. They then lost to 3 seed Baylor 72-49 to end their season 28–6 and with its worst loss of the year.[8]
The Gaels have appeared in six NCAA tournaments. They have an overall 3–6 record in tournament games.[9]
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Sweet Sixteen | Idaho State | W, 80–71 | |
| Elite Eight | California | L, 46–66 | ||
| 1989 | #8 | First Round | #9 Clemson | L, 70–83 |
| 1997 | #14 | First Round | #3 Wake Forest | L, 46–68 |
| 2005 | #10 | First Round | #7 Southern Illinois | L, 56–65 |
| 2008 | #10 | First Round | #7 Miami (FL) | L, 64–78 |
| 2010 | #10 | First Round | #7 Richmond | W, 80–71 |
| Second round | #2 Villanova | W, 75–68 | ||
| Sweet Sixteen | #3 Baylor | L, 49–72 |
The Gaels have appeared in two National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–2.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | #2 | First Round | #7 Washington State | W, 68–57 |
| Second round | #6 Davidson | W, 80–68 | ||
| Quarterfinals | #1 San Diego State | L, 66–70 | ||
| 2011 | #2 | First Round | #7 Kent State | L, 70–71 |
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