Busting Brackets
Fansided

Saint Mary’s Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Gaels

By Brayley Crowe

FULLERTON, CA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Randy Bennett of the St. Mary's Gaels talks to his team during a time out in the game against the Harvard Crimson at the Titan Gym on November 23, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
FULLERTON, CA - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Randy Bennett of the St. Mary's Gaels talks to his team during a time out in the game against the Harvard Crimson at the Titan Gym on November 23, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
BATON ROUGE, LA – JANUARY 28: Fans of the LSU Tigers celebrate following a victory over the Kentucky Wildcats at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on January 28, 2014 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU won the game 87-82. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – JANUARY 28: Fans of the LSU Tigers celebrate following a victory over the Kentucky Wildcats at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on January 28, 2014 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU won the game 87-82. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Non-Conference Schedule

Nov. 7 (H)-McNeese

Nov. 11(H)-Utah Valley

Nov. 14(A)-New Mexico St.

Nov. 19(N)-Utah St.

Nov. 21(N)-TBA

Nov. 24(H)-Harvard

Nov. 28(H)-UC-Irvine

Dec. 1(H)-California

Dec. 4(H)-Bethune-Cookman

Dec. 7(N)-New Mexico

Dec. 10(H)-CSU-Fullerton

Dec. 15(N)-LSU

Dec. 19(H)-Bucknell

Dec. 22(A)-Western Kentucky

Dec. 29(H)-San Jose St.

The Gaels begin their season with two home games against McNeese and Utah Valley the opening week of the season. Then, on November 14, Bennett’s squad gets its first chance at showing its abilities, as they take on New Mexico St. in Las Cruces, New Mexico. A solid performance against the Aggies could set the precedent for the rest of the Gaels’ season, as New Mexico St. earned a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Five days later, Saint Mary’s takes on Utah St. in the MGM Resorts Main Event preseason tournament in Las Vegas. Depending on the results, Saint Mary’s will then matchup with either Mississippi St. or Arizona St. on the 21st. Two wins, with one against a power-five team, could be crucial for Saint Mary’s resume come March.

The Gaels then return to Moraga for another solid test, as they take on preseason Ivy League favorites Harvard November 24. Following their matchup with the Crimson, the Gaels will host another three home matches, including California-Irvine November 28. On December 1, Saint Mary’s will host the Cal Bears in another potential resume-boosting game, as they’ll look to notch another win against a power-five squad. The Gaels will then wrap up their four-game home stand with Bethune-Cookman December 4.

On December 7, the Gaels will face the Lobos of New Mexico at the Staple Center in Los Angeles in one of three Hall of Fame Classic games. This will be yet another crucial match come March, as New Mexico is picked to finish second in a loaded Mountain West, behind only top-10 Nevada. Bennett’s squad will return to the McKeon Pavilion December 10 to take on California St. Fullerton.

Then, on December 15, comes what will perhaps be the Gaels’ biggest non-conference game, as they take on No. 23 LSU in the Neon Hoops Challenge, again in Las Vegas. This is Saint Mary’s only game against a currently ranked opponent besides their two meetings with in-conference rival Gonzaga. If the Gaels can top the Tigers, a win against a top-25 SEC team will be hard for the committee to dismiss.

Saint Mary’s will then round out the season by hosting Bucknell December 19. Then, Bennett and Co. will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where they will take on Western Kentucky in what could be a very interesting battle of some of the better known mid-majors. The two will meet December 22 in a daytime game. Lastly, Saint Mary’s will close out the non-conference slate by hosting San Jose St. December 29 before starting conference play January 3 with a trip to San Francisco.