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Saint Mary’s basketball: Five reasons the Gaels can make a run in March

By Brock Zimmermann

December 8, 2016; Moraga, CA, USA; Saint Mary's Gaels head coach Randy Bennett during the second half against the UT Arlington Mavericks at McKeon Pavilion. The Mavericks defeated the Gaels 65-51. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 8, 2016; Moraga, CA, USA; Saint Mary's Gaels head coach Randy Bennett during the second half against the UT Arlington Mavericks at McKeon Pavilion. The Mavericks defeated the Gaels 65-51. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Saint Mary’s basketball program has been a staple of mid-majors for years and looked primed for a tournament run.

The Saint Mary’s Gaels have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2013, but the Gaels are one of the most dangerous teams in the country. With a record of 22-3 and an RPI of 15, Saint Mary’s has a dominant defense and an efficient offensively minded team.

The Gaels are one of the most consistent mid-major teams in the country every year. They have recently been in the shadow West Coast Conference rival Gonzaga. However, they made the NIT three years in a row and deserve some national recognition.

Additionally, they have at least 20 wins since 2007-08 seasons and have steadily improved under Head Coach Randy Bennett. Because of their conference dominance the Gaels have a great chance to break the NIT streak with an NCAA Tournament appearance.

They have good wins over Dayton and Nevada and a loss to a UT-Arlington bubble team. Dayton is tied for first in the Atlantic 10 and Nevada is tied for first in the Mountain West. Their lone non-conference loss is to UT-Arlington who leads the Sun Belt. Due to the Gaels’ somewhat weak schedule, these games are especially noteworthy.

They have blown out teams on several occasions this year, which may be why people view their schedule as weak. Regardless of who they have played, they average a scoring difference of 15.6 points per game, the sixth most in the nation. The other two losses on the year are to the currently no. 1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs.