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NCAA Basketball: Duke, Gonzaga, and WVU rise in latest WTE ’23-24 power rankings

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 24, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Ryan Nembhard (2) dribbles during the second half of the NCAA tournament round of sixteen against the Princeton Tigers at KFC YUM! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Ryan Nembhard (2) dribbles during the second half of the NCAA tournament round of sixteen against the Princeton Tigers at KFC YUM! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Saint Mary’s Gaels head coach Randy Bennett Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Basketball Saint Mary’s Gaels head coach Randy Bennett Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

24. Saint Mary’s Gaels

There’s a bit more clarity with the Gaels’ roster, as senior forward Kyle Bowen will be going pro. He started 35 games at 33.5 mpg and averaged 5.3 ppg and a team-leading 7.1 rpg. The good news is that big man and All-WCC forward Mitchell Saxen is back and freshman forward Harry Wessels is primed for a breakout campaign next season.

The big news that really matters was Alex Ducas coming back for a 5th year. He averaged 12.5 ppg and 4.3 rpg while shooting a team-leading 41% from three-point range. The sharpshooting wing had 17 points, eight rebounds and five steals in the NCAA Tournament win over VCU and had eight first-half points against eventual national champion UConn before suffering an injury.

Saint Mary’s will have him back, along with star freshman Aidan Mahaney. He seemed to hit a freshman wall towards the end of the season but gives the WCC program an elite building block to work with next season. Improvement by him could make Mahaney the early favorite for Conference Player of the Year.

The loss of leading scorer and Defensive Player of the Year Logan Johnson is going to be tough to replace but Augustas Marciulionis is ready to take over. He averaged 5.9 ppg as a sophomore and is a former top-100 prospect and while he needs to get better as a shooter, can run the offense.

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