Saint Mary's Basketball

Saint Mary’s beat Northern Iowa 57-41 as part of ESPN’s 24-hour tip-off marathon.

St. Mary's is a team that was eliminated in the first round of the NIT last season after a remarkable run to the Sweet 16 in 2010, which ultimately ended in a loss to Baylor.

Northern Iowa knows what it’s like to be a Cinderella story themselves, having upset Kansas to reach the Sweet 16 in that same 2010 NCAA Tournament.

So what did we learn about the St. Mary’s Gaels in their win over Northern Iowa?

Well, at times their offense looked out of sync and confused. However, they made up for their offensive struggles with a superb defensive showing. The Gaels held Northern Iowa to a 21.4 field goal percentage before the half.

Not only did Northern Iowa rarely get off an uncontested shot, there were points when they couldn’t even get off an uncontested pass.

The Gaels' offense surely misses its leader and point guard from last season, Mickey McConnell. Not only was McConnell a clutch shooter, the entire offense fed off of him.

This year, it seems like the point guard duties will go to junior Matthew Dellavedova.

Dellavedova is no slouch. He earned All-West Coast Conference honors last season and spent his summer playing for the Boomers, Australia’s national team (where he backed up former St. Mary’s star Patty Mills).

While playing for the Boomers, Dellavedova got the experience of playing against NBA players Tony Parker, Pau and Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.

It should be noted, however, that Dellavedova struggled when called upon to play the point last season (see the Vanderbilt game). He may be more useful as a shooting guard; in that case, sophomores Stephen Holt and Jorden Page will see action at the point.

In the future, the Gaels will be tested when they play a team with height.

Saint Mary’s hasn’t had a true center since Omar Samhan graduated two seasons ago. Last season, a combination of Mitchell Young, Rob Jones and Kenton Walker were serviceable.

This season coach Randy Bennett will look at those same players in addition to Brad Waldow, listed as 6’9”, and transfer Kyle Rowley, listed at 7’0”.

The Gaels next head to Denver for a game on November 23rd before playing San Francisco State at home November 27th.

In 2007, he was supposed to be leaving for Hawaii. In 2008, it was either Cal or Oregon State. Just this last year, ESPN said he was a top candidate for the Utah job.

And yet, on Friday, head coach Randy Bennett signed a ten-year extension with Saint Mary’s.

"We've had great players and assistant coaches who have put a lot of effort into building the program to a level where we can maintain success and continue to build on it,” Bennett told the media on Friday.

Bennett joined in 2001, taking over a team that had gone just 2-27 the year before. Since his hiring, his teams have gone 208-112 overall, and they shared the WCC Championship back in 2010.

The Gaels have made the NCAA three times under Bennett, the last and most successful run coming in 2010, when the Gaels got to the Sweet Sixteen. The last four seasons, Bennett’s Gaels have won at least 25 games.

One of the reasons for the Gaels' emergence as a WCC contender is Bennett’s recruiting and his success in recruiting Australian players. For years, Bennett has recruited some of the country’s best players, including current NBA Player Patrick Mills, who was with the team from 2007 to 2009. He’s also coached talents like Daniel Kickert, Diamon Simpson, Omar Samhan, and last year’s WCC Player of the Year, Mickey McConnell.

"We have great student-athletes, a supportive administration and enthusiastic student and community support for our program,” Bennett said. “My family and I enjoy being at Saint Mary's and living in such a supportive and positive community."

As long as a college coach like Bennett thrives at a small unknown school like Saint Mary's, his name will end up in the coaching searches of larger schools. It happened for years at Saint Mary's—at the end of every season, Bennett's name would pop up in some other larger school's coaching search.

At the end of the 2010-2011 season, after a loss to Kent State in the NIT, Bennett was asked about a report that had him interviewing for the open position at Utah. Bennett said, quite vehemently, "Absolutely not truth to that. Haven't talked to them, and it's irresponsible reporting if anyone said that."

Understandably, some coaches will leave for bigger schools with little loyalty to their previous homes (see: John Calipari), but not all. Bennett has made a name for himself at Saint Mary's, and he's established his "Australian Pipeline." It's great for the Gaels—and for smaller schools everywhere—to see a talented, winning head coach stay in one position for such a long time.

Not always is a coach excited to leave the small town to take on the big lights and the increased pressure. Bennett always said, time and time again, that he was committed to Saint Mary’s, and on Friday, he proved it again.

And that’s a fantastic thing for the Gaels and smaller schools everywhere.

In 2007, he was supposed to be leaving for Hawaii. In 2008, it was either Cal or Oregon State. Just this last year, ESPN said he was a top candidate for the Utah job.

And yet, on Friday, head coach Randy Bennett signed a ten-year extension with Saint Mary’s.

"We've had great players and assistant coaches who have put a lot of effort into building the program to a level where we can maintain success and continue to build on it,” Bennett told the media on Friday.

Bennett joined in 2001, taking over a team that had gone just 2-27 the year before. Since his hiring, his teams have gone 208-112 overall, and they shared the WCC Championship back in 2010.

The Gaels have made the NCAA three times under Bennett, the last and most successful run coming in 2010, when the Gaels got to the Sweet Sixteen. The last four seasons, Bennett’s Gaels have won at least 25 games.

One of the reasons for the Gaels' emergence as a WCC contender is Bennett’s recruiting and his success in recruiting Australian players. For years, Bennett has recruited some of the country’s best players, including current NBA Player Patrick Mills, who was with the team from 2007 to 2009. He’s also coached talents like Daniel Kickert, Diamon Simpson, Omar Samhan, and last year’s WCC Player of the Year, Mickey McConnell.

"We have great student-athletes, a supportive administration and enthusiastic student and community support for our program,” Bennett said. “My family and I enjoy being at Saint Mary's and living in such a supportive and positive community."

As long as a college coach like Bennett thrives at a small unknown school like Saint Mary's, his name will end up in the coaching searches of larger schools. It happened for years at Saint Mary's—at the end of every season, Bennett's name would pop up in some other larger school's coaching search.

At the end of the 2010-2011 season, after a loss to Kent State in the NIT, Bennett was asked about a report that had him interviewing for the open position at Utah. Bennett said, quite vehemently, "Absolutely not truth to that. Haven't talked to them, and it's irresponsible reporting if anyone said that."

Understandably, some coaches will leave for bigger schools with little loyalty to their previous homes (see: John Calipari), but not all. Bennett has made a name for himself at Saint Mary's, and he's established his "Australian Pipeline." It's great for the Gaels—and for smaller schools everywhere—to see a talented, winning head coach stay in one position for such a long time.

Not always is a coach excited to leave the small town to take on the big lights and the increased pressure. Bennett always said, time and time again, that he was committed to Saint Mary’s, and on Friday, he proved it again.

And that’s a fantastic thing for the Gaels and smaller schools everywhere.

I sat down on my couch in front of a nice TV waiting to see the Toreros of San Diego take on No. 23 St. Mary's Gaels on ESPN. The Nebraska-Oklahoma game was just wrapping up and once the game finished the broadcasters threw it back to the studio in preparation for the St. Mary's-San Diego game. What I heard made me irate. 

Studio analyst Jimmy Dykes, in discussing the St. Mary's Gaels, looked exasperated giving one of those "why do we even have to talk about this" sighs and proceeded to ask how St. Mary's was ranked and remarked, "They're not as good as people think they are."  He followed this up with a brilliant piece of halftime analysis, claiming that St. Mary's can't win on a neutral site because they're not big enough.

First off, Jimmy, how did you get on ESPN? Probably because you are a failed coach. No?  Oh, wait, I'm sorry, you are a failed assistant coach. What you are doing on a college basketball studio is beyond me considering you couldn't even become a head coach anywhere. 

Aren't you better suited for commentary at a hot dog eating contest? Oh, according to your ESPN bio, you do that too. Stick to hot dog eating contests Jimmy because you do not know what you are talking about.

St. Mary's is one of the best college teams in the country, and as a graduate of a rival university it pains me to say this. They are 11th in points per game, seventh in assists, third in field goal percentage, seventh in three-pointers made and first in the country in points per possession. 

Additionally, Junior Mickey McConnell has been nominated as one of 10 finalists for best point guard in the nation. The question, Jimmy, isn't how are they ranked. It should be, how are they ranked so low?

The Gaels are 22-4 and 10-1 in the WCC conference that includes perennial tournament dark-horse Gonzaga, 18-8 Portland and 16-11 Santa Clara. They became tournament darlings last year with a magnificent run to the Sweet 16, had a run to the quarterfinals of the NIT the year before and made the NCAA tournament in 2008. 

Over the past three seasons St. Mary's has established itself, one would think, as a major mid-major team. The fact that they are about to knock off Gonzaga in the WCC for the first time in 11 years should confirm that.

Alas, the Gaels of St. Mary's have not been given any respect, at least not from the likes of Jimmy Dykes and ESPN. St. Mary's is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NCAA: they don't get no respect. This is probably the result of playing in the frowned upon West Coast Conference.

It is a shame that a conference that fields three-time national champion USF, powerhouse Gonzaga, 2008 tournament Cinderellas San Diego and a powerful St. Mary's team can be so looked down upon. However, with the addition of national powerhouse BYU next season, the disrespect shown to the WCC should dissipate.

Unfortunately for St. Mary's, that does them little good this season. For West Coast teams, it appears that only way to gain some national respect is to win in the NCAA tournament. So, Gaels, go out and prove the likes of Jimmy Dykes wrong.

1. St. Mary's Gaels (1)

Record: 22-4, 10-1 WCC

RPI: 31

St. Mary's moved to 10-1 in conference play with a win at second-place San Francisco on Saturday. The Gaels play at ninth-place San Diego on Wednesday and then host Utah State on Saturday.

Key Wins: St. John's (Home), Long Beach State (Neutral), Gonzaga (Road) 

Key Losses: Portland (Road)

2. Wichita State Shockers (3)

Record: 12-3, 21-5 MVC

RPI: 52

Wichita State rebounded from a shocking loss to Southern Illinois with an 18-point win at Northern Iowa. The Shockers host Virginia Commonwealth in their BracketBuster on Friday night. 

Key Wins: Tulsa (Home), Creighton (Road), Northern Iowa (Road) 

Key Losses: Southern Illinois (Home)

3. George Mason Patriots (13)

Record: 21-5, 13-2 CAA

RPI: 23

George Mason extended its winning streak with a win on Saturday over James Madison. With that win, the Patriots moved into first place in the CAA. They can clinch at least share of the regular season CAA title with a win at Virginia Commonwealth on Tuesday. 

Key Wins: Harvard (Home), Florida Atlantic (Home), Duquesne (Road), James Madison (Road), Old Dominion (Home)

Key Losses: Wofford (Neutral)

4. Missouri State Bears (2)

Record: 20-6, 12-3 MVC

RPI: 47

Missouri State moved back into first place in the MVC with a win at Illinois State on Saturday. 

Key Wins: Northern Iowa (Road), Creighton (Road), Wichita State (Road)

Key Losses: Indiana State (Road), Evansville (Road)

5. Utah State Aggies (4)

Record: 23-3, 12-1 WAC

RPI: 26

Utah State's winning streak ended with a loss at Idaho, but the Aggies rebounded with a win over Fresno State over the weekend. The Aggies have a BracketBuster date at St. Mary's on Saturday. 

Key Wins: Long Beach State (Home)

Key Losses: Idaho (Road) 

6. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (7)

Record: 24-2, 15-0 Big South

RPI: 56

Coastal Carolina has won 22 consecutive games and holds the nation's longest win streak. The Chanticleers' magic number for a Big South regular season championship is down to one.

Key Wins: LSU (Road), Liberty (Road)

Key Losses: None

7. Old Dominion Monarchs (5)

Record: 20-6, 11-4 CAA

RPI: 28

Old Dominion stands in third place in the CAA. The Monarchs narrowed the gap between them and first place with a win at VCU on Saturday. 

Key Wins: Clemson (Neutral), Xavier (Neutral), Richmond (Home), George Mason (Home), Hofstra (Road), VCU (Road) 

Key Losses: Delaware (Road), Drexel (Road)

8. Virginia Commonwealth Rams (6)

Record: 20-7, 12-3 CAA 

RPI: 60

Virginia Commonwealth has lost two of its last four and has fallen out of first place and into second place. The Rams can retake first place with a win over George Mason on Tuesday.

Key Wins: UCLA (Neutral), Old Dominion (Road), James Madison (Road)

Key Losses: South Florida (Road), Georgia State (Road), Northeastern (Road)

9. Charleston Cougars (11)

Record: 19-7, 12-2 SoCon

RPI: 77

Charleston holds a 1.5-game lead over Wofford and Furman in the SoCon. The Cougars' magic number for a SoCon championship is currently two.

Key Wins: Coastal Carolina (Home), East Tennessee State (Home), Tennessee (Road), Furman (Road)

Key Losses: Morehead State (Road), Chattanooga (Road), Davidson (Road)

10. Cleveland State Vikings (9)

Record: 22-5, 11-4 Horizon

RPI: 38

Cleveland State ended a two-game slide with a win over Youngstown State. Viking guard Norris Cole made national headlines with 41 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists against the Penguins.

Key Wins: Iona (Home), Valparaiso (Home)

Key Losses: Butler (Home), Detroit (Road)

11. Princeton Tigers (16)

Record: 19-4, 7-0 Ivy

RPI: 53

Princeton joins Coastal Carolina as the only mid-majors left undefeated in conference play. The Tigers control their own destiny for an Ivy League championship. They play a pair of road games this weekend.

Key Wins: Rutgers (Home), Bucknell (Neutral), Harvard (Home) 

Key Losses: Presbyterian (Neutral)

12. Belmont Bruins (15)

Record: 23-4, 15-1 A-Sun

RPI: 57

Belmont swept a three-game road trip to gain a 1.5-game lead over East Tennessee State. The Bruins can clinch first place in the Atlantic Sun with a win over East Tennessee State on Thursday.

Key Wins: East Tennessee State (Road), Jacksonville (Road)

Key Losses: Lipscomb (Road)

13. Northern Iowa Panthers (24)

Record: 18-9, 9-6 MVC

RPI: 79

Northern Iowa has hit another road bump. The Panthers have lost their last three games and desperately need a win at Bradley on Tuesday.

Key Wins: Iowa State (Home), New Mexico (Neutral), Wichita State (Road), Missouri State (Road)

Key Losses: Texas Christian (Road), Drake (Road), Evansville (Road)

14. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (14)

Record: 18-9, 13-1 Summit

RPI: 74

Oakland rebounded from its first conference loss of the season with a win over IPFW. The Golden Grizzlies' magic number for a regular season Summit League title is two. 

Key Wins: Tennessee (Road)

Key Losses: Michigan (Road), Valparaiso (Home), IUPUI (Road)

15. Gonzaga Bulldogs (8)

Record: 17-9, 7-3 WCC

RPI: 67

Gonzaga is starting to play better basketball. The Bulldogs are now in third place in the WCC. 

Key Wins: Marquette (Neutral), Baylor (Neutral), Xavier (Home), Oklahoma State (Home), Portland (Road) 

Key Losses: Washington State (Road), Santa Clara (Road), San Francisco (Road)

16. Harvard Crimson (17)

Record: 18-4, 7-1 Ivy

RPI: 46

Harvard is half a game behind Princeton in the Ivy League. The Crimson have won three straight games since losing at Princeton. They will play their next four games on the road before returning home for the final two games of the season.

Key Wins: Colorado (Home), Boston College (Road)

Key Losses: Michigan (Road)

17. Valparaiso Crusaders (18)

Record: 19-7, 11-3 Horizon

RPI: 51

Valparaiso has won three straight games and is in first place in the Horizon League. The Crusaders have a BracketBuster game against Missouri State on Saturday.

Key Wins:

Key Losses:

18. Butler Bulldogs (12)

Record: 18-9, 10-5 Horizon

RPI: 45

Butler has won four straight games and is tied for third place in the Horizon League. 

Key Wins: Florida State (Neutral), Washington State (Neutral), Valparaiso (Home), Cleveland State (Home), Cleveland State (Road)

Key Losses: Milwaukee (Road), Milwaukee (Home), Youngstown State (Road)

19. Montana Grizzlies (22)

Record: 18-7, 10-3 Big Sky

RPI: 106

Montana moved into first place in the Big Sky with a win over Northern Colorado on Saturday. The Grizzlies host Idaho State on Wednesday and then finish off the regular season with three road games.

Key Wins: UCLA (Road)

Key Losses: Nevada (Road), Northern Arizona (Road)

20. Fairfield Stags (23)

Record: 20-5, 13-2 MAAC

RPI: 110

Fairfield cut its magic number for a MAAC championship to one with a win at St. Peter's on Sunday. The Stags can clinch a regular season MAAC title with a win over ninth-place Marist on Wednesday.

Key Wins: Vermont (Home)

Key Losses: St. Joe's (Home), Loyola (Road)

21. Portland Pilots (21)

Record: 18-8, 5-5 WCC

RPI: 83

Portland has lost two of its last three WCC games. This weekend, the Pilots were eliminated from the race for the WCC regular season championship.

Key Wins: Florida Atlantic (Home), Montana (Road), St. Mary's (Home)

Key Losses: Washington State (Neutral), Santa Clara (Road), Pepperdine (Road)

22. Kent State Golden Flashes (Not Ranked)

Record: 17-7, 8-2 MAC

RPI: 88

Kent State has started playing to its full potential and is in first place in the MAC. The Golden Flashes continue their road trip at Miami-Ohio on Wednesday.

Key Wins: Iona (Neutral), Furman (Home)

Key Losses: Morehead State (Road), James Madison (Home)

23. Vermont Catamounts (Not Ranked)

Record: 21-5, 12-2 A-East

RPI: 78

Vermont has won nine straight games and has clinched a regular season championship in the America East. 

Key Wins: Iona (Road)

Key Losses: Maine (Home), Fairfield (Road)

24. James Madison Dukes (10)

Record: 18-9, 8-7 CAA

RPI: 81

James Madison has lost three of its last four games to drop to the middle of the pack in the CAA. The Dukes wrap up a three-game road trip at last-place Towson on Tuesday.

Key Wins: Princeton (Home), Bucknell (Home), Kent State (Road), Drexel (Road)

Key Losses: Georgia State (Road), Hofstra (Road), William & Mary (Home)

25. Wright State Raiders (Not Ranked)

Record: 17-11, 10-6 Horizon

RPI: 102

Wright State has lost back-to-back games. The Raiders will finish off the regular season with three straight home games.

Key Wins: Oakland (Home), Butler (Home)

Key Losses: Southern Illinois (Neutral), Detroit (Road), Charlotte (Road), Milwaukee (Road)

Added: Kent State, Vermont, Wright State

Dropped: Hofstra, North Texas, Drexel 

With their 86-68 away win over the University of San Francisco, Saint Mary’s College of California men’s basketball moves their record to 10-1 in conference (22-4 overall).

The University of San Francisco, a surprising team in conference play, drops to 7-3 in conference and 13-12 overall and now sits in a tie for second place with WCC perennial power Gonzaga.

Senior point guard Mickey McConnell led the Gaels with 19 points, playing all 40 minutes. Forward Rob Jones added 18 points and guard Matthew Dellavedova contributed 14 before fouling out.

For the Dons, guards Rashad Green and Michael Williams each led the pace with 17 points.

The Gaels’ next game is against the University of San Diego on Feb. 16, and will be televised on ESPN2.

Most sporting news outlets predicted the 2011 Gaels to struggle due to the loss of center Omar Samhan. Ironically, these same outlets predicted the 2010 season as a “rebuilding” year due to the loss of star Patty Mills.

The 2010 season saw the Gaels win the WCC Tournament and then reach the Sweet 16 after beating Richmond and Villanova.

That year, Samhan exclaimed it would be a “reloading” and not a “rebuilding” year. This year, while there has been no such statement by any Gaels players, it’s clear coach Randy Bennett and his team have carried that mentality with them.

While they certainly miss Samhan’s dominating presence in the post, Rob Jones has provided skilled play there, plus the ability to sink the three.

But, is this team capable of making the run they did last year? Well, as it is every year in the WCC, it’s unclear whether the Gaels have done enough to receive an at-large bid to the tournament. Most analysts have the Gaels as one of the last teams in if the field was selected today. It does not help they got killed by Vanderbilt, then ranked lower, and lost to an inferior Portland team.

Furthermore, while Mickey McConnell is one of the best point guards in the country (remember when he was the awkward, lob-passing, dribble into a corner backup to Patty Mills?) the Gaels lack depth this season at the guard position.

Due to injuries to guards Tim Harris and Jorden Page, the Gaels play with an eight-man rotation. This doesn’t sound horrible, except that two of the bench players rotate in the post, and Stephen Holt splits time with Clint Steindl at the small forward position.

This leaves Dellavedova and McConnell a humongous workload. The only breaks they have gotten are when they foul out, with Holt switching over to guard (the USF game was the first time guard Zach Sanchez has seen any minutes all season, all of one minute). Playing 40 minutes a game consistently may cause them to fade come conference tournament time.

It may just be the year we see a regular season champion besides Gonzaga in a decade. However, for the Gaels to make it to the NCAA tournament, they must continue to get great guard play out of Dellavedova and McConnell. Also, it’d be nice to see Steindl contribute like he did in the USF game, where he went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and finished with nine points and five rebounds.

After their game Wednesday against USD, the Gaels will play their last non-conference game on Saturday as part of ESPN’s BracketBuster games. A win here will add a nice game to their resume come selection day.

The popularity of Saint Mary’s Gaels basketball has taken Northern California by storm over the past few seasons. After their Sweet Sixteen appearance last year, the Gaels are ready for another run in the NCAA Tournament.

Saint Mary’s is 17-3 (5-0) and faces West Coast Conference rival Gonzaga on Thursday night in Spokane, Washington. The Gaels have not won a game against the Bulldogs in Spokane since 1995. A win by the Gaels would give them a three-game lead in the conference and all but essentially wrap up the regular season title.

This will be a big test for the Gaels as they try to rebound from an 89-70 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday. On Thursday, the Gaels will hit the court sporting their new Gaels Gone Wild shirts.

The shirt design was created by Grimy Ink, a Bay Area sports and entertainment T-shirt company co-founded by Scott Tully and Dustin Chavez. The new shirt has been named as an officially licensed apparel for the basketball team.

Tully said that designing a shirt for the Gaels was something he did as a favor to his friends that had attended the school.

"My connection to Saint Mary's and the Gaels Gone Wild project was more as a favor to some of my close friends who attend and graduated from the school," Tully said. "The whole idea came to place because my good friend is on the baseball team for Saint Mary's and my business partner Dustin graduated from Saint Mary's in 2008."

Tully, who plans to receive his master's degree from Saint Mary's in the fall, said he has been a fan of the basketball team since the days of head coach Ernie Kent and star players like Brad Millard and Frank Allocco, Jr. during the 1990s. One of his fondest memories was when the Gaels faced Tim Duncan and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 1997 in the NCAA Tournament.

Inspired by the rise of the current program, Tully and Chavez came with the idea of designing a shirt for a college. Naturally, choosing one of his favorite schools was an easy choice for Tully.

"Saint Mary's was an easy decision because of the connections I had to the school, their recent success in basketball, and their campus located so close to me," Tully explained. "Everybody involved in the project had no idea it was going to have so much success this quickly."

Along with the shirt, it was decided that a song and an accompanying video was also in need for the Gaels Gone Wild movement. Getting approval from the school was one of the toughest tasks on hand for the project, especially since something like this had never been done before with Saint Mary’s. The entire project would take five months to complete.

"We needed to get permission from the school to film, get the player's on the team to think the concept was legit," said Tully. They also had to go through a legal process to have the entire project officially licensed by the school.

With help from close friends Sally S Baby, Keyz and Shugz, the beat was produced and the lyrics were written for the song. The entire video was filmed by brothers Hart and Devon Perez, both Saint Mary’s alums, in only two days.

The song’s fresh beat and catchy lyrics is making waves throughout the campus.

“It’s the Ga-els gone wiiii-lld….It’s the Ga-els gone wliii-lld…. Mo-mo-mo-mo Mo-raga style!”

Since being uploaded onto YouTube only two weeks ago, the video has over 48,000 total views. ESPN is scheduled to air the video during its telecast of the Saint Mary’s-Gonzaga game.

Despite the program’s success in recent years, Tully still sees the Gaels currently at a crossroads.

“I could easily see them falling back to mediocrity if Randy Bennett were to ever leave,” said Tully. “If he stays, I see them compete with Gonzaga as not only the top team in the league each season but be the best mid major in the country.”

Led by senior guard Mickey McConell, junior forward Rob Jones and Australian sophomore guard Matthew Dellavedova, the Gaels have put themselves in a good position to make another huge run in the NCAA tournament. A lot of that can be credited to their head coach Randy Bennett.

Bennett took over a one-win program back in 2001 and with more continued success, the program could receive more funding to improve their facilities and be a competing college basketball team. A win over the Bulldogs this Thursday would get the Gaels going in that direction.

With that win, the Gaels Gone Wild movement will continue to spread throughout Northern California and garner notice from the rest of the college basketball world.

That’s the way that Saint Mary’s does things. They go wild—Moraga style! 

These weekly rankings will rank which mid-majors are the best in the nation, factoring in record, RPI, and whom the teams have beaten and lost to. There are different opinions on which teams qualify as mid-majors. I say that mid-majors are teams not in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, Pac-10, Mountain West, Conference USA, or Atlantic 10. Teams from any other conference constitute as mid-majors.

Rank. Team (Previous Rank)

1. St. Mary's Gaels (3)

Record: 17-3, 5-0 WCC

RPI: 40

St. Mary's winning streak ended with a loss at Vanderbilt. However, the Gaels still control the WCC at 5-0.

Key Wins: St. John's (Home)

Key Losses: None

2. Missouri State Bears (4)

Record: 16-4, 8-1 MVC

RPI: 35

Missouri State lost a heartbreaker at Indiana State on a buzzer beater layup for its first loss in conference play. The Bears rebounded with a win of their own in the final seconds against Creighton. With an Indiana State loss, the Bears moved back into first place in the MVC.

Key Wins: Northern Iowa (Road), Creighton (Road), Wichita State (Road)

Key Losses: Tulsa (Road), Indiana State (Road)

3. Wichita State Shockers (5)

Record: 16-4, 7-2 MVC

RPI: 44

Wichita State lost at home in conference play for the second time this season, losing to Northern Iowa by a score of 77-74. The Shockers rebounded with a win over Indiana State in three overtimes to move into second place in the MVC.

Key Wins: Virginia (Neutral), Creighton (Road)

Key Losses: Northern Iowa (Home)

4. Utah State Aggies (6)

Record: 18-2, 7-0 WAC

RPI: 43

Utah State has not lost since it played Georgetown on December 4th. The Aggies have a two-game lead on Boise State in the WAC.

Key Wins: Denver (Road), Boise State (Road)

Key Losses: None

5. Old Dominion Monarchs (1)

Record: 14-5, 5-3 CAA

RPI: 33

Old Dominion is 2-2 in his last four games. The Monarchs currently stand in fourth place in the CAA and need to take advantage of their next three games, where they play UNC-Wilmington, Georgia State, and Towson.

Key Wins: Xavier (Neutral), Richmond (Home), George Mason (Home), Hofstra (Road), James Madison (Home)

Key Losses: Delaware (Road)

6. Virginia Commonwealth Rams (18)

Record: 15-5, 7-1 CAA

RPI: 54

Virginia Commonwealth has vaulted itself into first place in the CAA with six straight wins. The Rams play at 4-14 Towson in their next game.

Key Wins: UCLA (Neutral), Drexel (Home), Old Dominion (Road)

Key Losses: South Florida (Road), Georgia State (Road)

7. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (8)

Record: 18-2, 9-0 Big South

RPI: 68

Coastal Carolina continues to ride a its winning streak, which has progressed to 16 straight games. The Chanticleers finish off a four-game road trip this week with games at High Point at Radford. 

Key Wins: LSU (Road), Liberty (Road)

Key Losses: Charleston (Road)

8. Gonzaga Bulldogs (2)

Record: 13-7, 3-2 WCC

RPI: 66

Gonzaga dropped back-to-back road games to Santa Clara and San Francisco. Although the Bulldogs have many strong wins, they are currently in fourth place in the West Coast Conference.

Key Wins: Marquette (Neutral), Baylor (Neutral), Xavier (Home), Oklahoma State (Home), Portland (Home)

Key Losses: Washington State (Road), Santa Clara (Road), San Francisco (Home)

9. Cleveland State Vikings (11)

Record: 18-3, 7-2 Horizon

RPI: 32

Cleveland State has won three straight games to move into second place in the Horizon League. 

Key Wins: Iona (Home), Kent State (Home), Akron (Road), Wright State (Home)

Key Losses: Valparaiso (Road)

10. James Madison Dukes (9)

Record: 15-5, 5-3 CAA

RPI: 72

James Madison has dropped its last two games. With those two losses, the Dukes dropped down to fifth play in the CAA.

Key Wins: Princeton (Home), Marshall (Home), Kent State (Road)

Key Losses: Georgia State (Road), George Mason (Home)

11. Charleston Cougars (13)

Record: 14-6, 7-1 SoCon

RPI: 82

Wofford rebounded from a loss at Chattanooga to maintain control of first place in the SoCon.

Key Wins: Coastal Carolina (Home), Tennessee (Road), Furman (Road)

Key Losses: Chattanooga (Road)

12. Butler Bulldogs (7)

Record: 14-7, 6-3 Horizon

RPI: 41

Butler has lost two of its last three games. The slumping Bulldogs start a three-game road trip at first place Valparaiso on Saturday.

Key Wins: Florida State (Neutral), Valparaiso (Home), Cleveland State (Home)

Key Losses: Evansville (Home), Milwaukee (Road), Milwaukee (Home)

13. George Mason Patriots (12)

Record: 14-5, 6-2 CAA

RPI: 31

George Mason has won four straight games to rise into third place in the CAA. 

Key Wins: Harvard (Home), Florida Atlantic (Home), Duquesne (Road), Drexel (Home), James Madison Road)

Key Losses: Wofford (Neutral)

14. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (15)

Record: 14-8, 9-0 Summit

RPI: 59

Oakland swept its three-game road trip, but the Golden Grizzlies only won their last two games by an average of eight points—must have been scary after winning all their other league games by 20 points. The Golden Grizzlies hold a three-game lead in first place.

Key Wins: Tennessee (Road), South Dakota State (Road)

Key Losses: Wright State (Road), Valparaiso (Road)

15. Belmont Bruins (Not Ranked)

Record: 18-3, 10-0 A-Sun

RPI: 70

Belmont has dominated its Atlantic Sun opponents to this point, winning all but one of its 10 games by double digits. The Bruins three losses have come to Tennessee (twice, when the Volunteers were ranked) and to Vanderbilt. All of those games were on the road.

Key Wins: East Tennessee State (Road)

Key Losses: None

16. Princeton Tigers (17)

Record: 12-4

RPI: 60

Princeton came back from a vacation of nearly three weeks to dominate College of New Jersey. The Tigers will play their first game against a D-I opponent since Marist on December 5th in their Ivy League opener against Brown on Friday night.

Key Wins: Rutgers (Home)

Key Losses: Presbyterian (Neutral)

17. Harvard Crimson (20)

Record: 13-3, 2-0 Ivy

RPI: 50

Harvard has looked strong in conference play so far, defeating Dartmouth twice. The Crimson host Columbia on Friday night in their Ivy League game.

Key Wins: Colorado (Home), Boston College (Road)

Key Losses: George Mason (Road)

18. Valparaiso Crusaders (16)

Record: 15-6, 7-2 Horizon

RPI: 57

Valparaiso's winning streak ended with a loss to Green Bay. The Crusaders host Butler on Saturday, with the winner gaining control of first place.

Key Wins: Oakland (Road), Cleveland State (Home), Wright State (Road)

Key Losses: Ohio (Road), Toledo (Road), Green Bay (Home)

19. Hofstra Pride (22)

Record: 13-6, 7-1 CAA

RPI: 105

Hofstra enters a game against James Madison in a tie with Virginia Commonwealth for first place in the CAA. The Pride travel to play the Rams on Thursday.

Key Wins: Drexel (Road), George Mason (Home)

Key Losses: Western Kentucky (Neutral), Florida Atlantic (Home), Iona (Road)

20. North Texas Mean Green (19)

Record: 16-4, 5-2 Sun Belt

RPI: 114

North Texas had a rough entrance into Sun Belt play, but the Mean Green has shown resilience, pulling itself back up to second place in the Sun Belt West.

Key Wins: LSU (Road)

Key Losses: Sam Houston State (Road), Troy (Road)

21. Portland Pilots (10)

Record: 14-6, 2-3

RPI: 56

Portland slumped this week and dropped below .500 in conference play. The Pilots host St. Mary's and Gonzaga within the next two weeks.

Key Wins: Florida Atlantic (Home), Montana (Road)

Key Losses: Washington State (Road), San Francisco (Road), Santa Clara (Road)

22. Montana Grizzlies (Not Ranked)

Record: 15-5, 7-1 Big Sky

RPI: 98

Montana has put together a solid winning streak and stands in second place in the Big Sky. The Grizzlies only loss came at undefeated Northern Colorado.

Key Wins: UCLA (Road), Oregon State (Home)

Key Losses: Nevada (Road), Northern Colorado (Road)

23. Fairfield Stags (Not Ranked)

Record: 15-4, 8-1 MAAC

RPI: 118

Fairfield has won three straight games to retake first place in the MAAC. The Stags start a four-game home stand against ninth place Manhattan on Friday. 

Key Wins: Vermont (Home)

Key Losses: Penn State (Road), St. Joe's (Home), Loyola (Road)

24. Northern Iowa Panthers (23)

Record: 15-6, 6-3 MVC

RPI: 71

Northern Iowa has won five straight games after a slow start in conference play. 

Key Wins: Iowa State (Home), New Mexico (Neutral), Wichita State (Road)

Key Losses: Milwaukee (Road), Southern Illinois (Road), Indiana State (Road)

25. Drexel Dragons (14)

Record: 12-6, 4-4 CAA

RPI: 64

Drexel ended a two-game slide with a win over Northeastern. The Dragons play two of their next three games on the road. Three of Drexel's four conference losses have come away from home.

Key Wins: Louisville (Road), Old Dominion (Home)

Key Losses: Hofstra (Home), William & Mary (Road)

Added: Belmont, Fairfield, Montana

Dropped: Creighton, Kent State, Vermont

Considered: Ball State, Florida Atlantic, Indiana State, Iona, Murray State, South Dakota State, Vermont, Wright State

We are entering the last week of October, which means basketball is inching closer and closer. With that, the next WCC Preview features the San Diego Toreros and the Saint Mary's Gaels.

The Toreros finished sixth in the WCC and the Gaels ran all the way to the Sweet 16. What do they look this year?

Saint Mary's Gaels

Returning starters:  Mickey McConnell, Matthew Dellavedova, Clint Steindl

Key additions: Rob Jones (TR), Kenton Walker (TR), Stephen Holt (91)

X-Factor: Clint Steindl, F

The reigning WCC Tournament champions return three starters from their Sweet 16 team. The two who are gone were essential to the Gaels, most notably center Omar Samhan.

Senior Mickey McConnell will try to pick up some of the slack. Along with sophomore Matthew Dellavedova, McConnell is part of one of the best backcourts in the nation. The pair averaged 25 points and near 10 assist per game last year and were exceedingly efficient shooting the ball.

McConnell shot 51 percent from three-point range last season.

The biggest key for the Gaels is replacing the rebounding prowess of Samhan. This will be the job of Kenton Walker and Rob Jones. Jones is eligible again after transferring from another WCC school, San Diego. Walker was efficient in limited action before transferring from Creighton.

Jones was the starting power forward for the 2008 WCC Champion San Diego team, which also defeated Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels have added a wealth of experience with these two.

The Gaels hope the biggest improvement comes from junior Clint Steindl.

Steindl improved quite a bit after the injury to Wayne Hunter last season. Though inconsistent at times, he showed he can be a game changer. His length allows him the capability to be a good defender. He shot 41 percent from three-point range last season. He will be relied upon more than last season and is key to the Gaels’ success.

Big games: 11/26-27 South Padre Island Invitational, 12/1 @ San Diego State, 12/23 @ New Mexico State 1/22 @ Vanderbilt

South Padre Island Invitational – This could be the first opportunity for Saint Mary’s will see a future WCC foe, BYU. If all goes according to plan, BYU and Saint Mary’s would play each other in the championship game. It will be no easy task to take down the Cougars. Jimmer Fredette is back and BYU is a favorite to take the Mountain West.

San Diego State – This will be the sixth meeting between the schools in five years. So these teams are familiar with each other, to say the least. Saint Mary’s is 3-2 against the Aztecs, but SDSU returns four starters to a team that made the NCAA Tournament, including sophomore Kawhi Leonard.

Vanderbilt – The Commodores held a 19-point lead over the Gaels while in Moraga, only to see it completely erased. Though they won, Vanderbilt learned not to underestimate Saint Mary’s. That will not happen this time. The benches are configured differently inside Memorial Gym, so communication could be an issue. This will be a big test smack in the middle of the conference schedule.

San Diego Toreros

Returning starters:  Chris Manresa, Devin Ginty, Matt Dorr

Key additions: Ben Vozzola

X-Factor: Ben Vozzola, G

No Brandon Johnson. No De’Jon Jackson. No Roberto Mafra. The Toreros will need to rely heavily on the senior leadership of Matt Dorr and Devin Ginty. Dorr is the only Torero with significant starting experience. The youth of the team must improve quickly for San Diego to have a chance in the WCC.

San Diego is in a rebuilding mode. Their four top scorers all graduated and two of the returning starters were not big time scorers. Ben Vozzola will be a key piece for the Toreros. His strength still needs to improve but he is a versatile scorer. Vozzola can finish at the rim and is good in a catch and shoot capacity.

Big games: 11/28 @ New Mexico, 12/11 @ San Diego State, 12/22-25 Diamond Head Classic

New Mexico – The Lobos finished as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were bounced in the first round. In the process, they also bid farewell to their two leading scorers: Roman Martinez and Darington Hobson. Despite the losses of Martinez and Hobson, New Mexico returns three starters and adds UCLA transfer, Drew Gordon. They will struggle to rebound the ball early on due to their youth and inexperience. But the same can be said about San Diego.

San Diego State – They are an early favorite to win the Mountain West, as are BYU and UNLV. The in-town rival returns Kawhi Leonard, who averaged a near double-double, and D.J. Gay, who shot 38 percent from three-point range last season. The Aztecs lost no significant player from last season.

Diamond Head Classic – The marquee names in this tournament are Baylor and Butler. San Diego draws Baylor first. The Bears are fresh off their Elite Eight run and added Perry Jones, one of the nation’s best recruits. Crucial for Baylor was the return of LaceDarius Dunn, who led the team in scoring last season. His status with the team is up in the air at this point, but this should not affect the outcome of this game. Baylor is long and athletic. More than likely, San Diego will play the loser between Mississippi State and Washington State as a consolation.

Every analyst had the same things to say: Kansas and Kentucky were the class of the field, great guard-play would lead teams to victory, and don't expect much from most of the lower-seeded teams.

What a difference two rounds has made.

The first day saw buzzer-beaters and huge upsets: Murray State upsetting Vanderbilt in a game that Murray State controlled throughout, Washington defeating a hot Marquette team, St. Mary's mauling Richmond, Ohio beating up Georgetown, Old Dominion downing Notre Dame.

Day Two brought Cornell, Missouri, and Georgia Tech all pulling out victories over higher-seeded foes, but more of a less chaotic day than the first.

Then came Day Three.

The landscape of the tournament has changed in one day. Suddenly, the entire remaining field now has a chance to win this tournament. The competitive level of this tournament has been turned up a couple of notches.

Analysts who said that great guard play will win the tournament must now re-think their ideas, as two mid-majors proved today.

First, St. Mary's toppled Villanova by riding on the back of Omar Samhan. Samhan had 32 points and seven boards in the Gael's 75-68 victory over the Wildcats. By the way, Samhan is the team center.

Then, in the most shocking upset of the tournament so far (which is saying something), Northern Iowa defeated overall  No. 1 seed Kansas, 69-67. While UNI had great three-point shooting, it was the effort of seven-foot center Jordan Eglseder to shut down Cole Aldrich that led to the Panther's victory.

Butler was threatened by Murray State, but was helped by fabulous work from seniors Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard, both physical presences in the paint.

The point is: Teams with great guard play (Villanova, Kansas, Murray State) lost to teams who had established post presences.

Big posts have been key to wins, as the ability to not only score inside but also to open up the perimeter game has been proven by three teams with great posts. As I write, Kentucky, whose physical posts of Patrick Patterson and Demarcus Cousins have been dominant this year, is taking Wake Forest to the woodshed.

The trend should continue on Day Four.

Georgia Tech could be in a great position to defeat Ohio State, if they get freshman phenom Derrick Favors involved early. Ohio State has great post play of their own, as Evan Turner could be on his way to a Player of the Year award. Whoever establishes better post play early will move on to the Sweet 16.

Perhaps the most interesting matchup of Day Four will be Syracuse and Gonzaga. Syracuse is going to be missing the physical play of Arinze Onuaku against Gonzaga's Robert Sacre. Gonzaga is more than ready to get Sacre involved early, and as seen in today's upsets, Sacre could be the key to this game.

Now, there have been exceptions to the rule so far (Washington, Missouri, Maryland). But the general rule has been to exploit the paint early, pounding it inside with the big uglies down low. This could prove to be a problem to some higher-seeded teams, as it has today.

I would expect one more one-seed to fall in the second round, and the most likely will be Syracuse. I just don't know if they have the physical presence to deal with the skilled Robert Sacre. Gonzaga does a great job getting him the ball, and as we've seen, the post play has opened up guys like UNI's Ali Farokhmanesh to shoot open threes.

If the pattern holds through the rest of this tournament, it is not a far-fetched idea that one of these scrappy, physical mid-majors could pull into the Final Four. At this point, it isn't even out of the question to see two or three of these teams dancing past the Elite Eight.

The question that needs to be answered is this: what effect does this have on the future of college basketball? Could it be that the mid-majors are finally catching up to the big names like Kansas, Kentucky, and Duke?

The answer to this point is a resounding yes.

Mid-majors have found new places to recruit players, with good results. St. Mary's has the Australian connection, and so far they have found diamonds-in-the-rough on the international market.

Butler is benefiting from the collapse of Indiana in the home state, which helps them gobble up better recruits.

A healthy number of transfer students and overlooked gems help these mid-majors fill out rosters with quality talent.

The result is the rise of small programs like these into national prominence.

I now believe that Kentucky is the favorite to win this tournament. Their balance and athleticism is unlike anything other teams have. But a scrappy, slower-paced Cornell team could, if the stars align, beat Kentucky on a given night.

And why couldn't Cornell appear in the Elite Eight, fighting to get to the Final Four with the likes of West Virginia, or even a red-hot Washington?

Stranger things have happened.