Saint Mary’s Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Gaels

Expectations for the season

If there is any season in which Saint Mary’s would be favored to win the WCC over Gonzaga, this would be it. Returning four starters and adding a solid graduate transfer from the SEC, the Gaels have more experience on their roster than any other team in the WCC.

The key to the Gaels success is the continued improvement of Emmett Naar, Calvin Hermanson and Jock Landale. While Landale is the clear favorite to win WCC Player of the Year and is a competitor for an All-American honor, Naar and Hermanson are also among the top players in the conference.

If I were to make a guess at the results of the Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s series, I would expect Saint Mary’s to win two out of the three matchups, including the expected WCC Tournament Championship Game. The game at Gonzaga will be extremely tough and Gonzaga will be favored, but Saint Mary’s should be favored in almost every other game this year.

Next: Saint Mary's lands two recruits

The question that needs to be answered, however, is how Randy Bennett can get his team to perform consistently in the postseason. With the experience of this Gaels team being so high, I would not be surprised if Saint Mary’s makes a deep tournament run.