Saint Mary's Basketball

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-4, 5-0 WCC) host the St. Mary's Gaels (18-1, 5-0) on Thursday at 8:00 pm PT.

Both teams remain undefeated in the West Coast Conference and are the only teams yet to lose in league play. The winner will take over the first place spot in the conference.

The Bulldogs have won 23 of their last 26 meetings against the Gaels.

St. Mary's has the nation's longest current winning streak with 15 games. They last defeated San Diego with an impressive 65-42 score.

The Zags have won their last six games and are looking very confident in conference play. They are averaging a 28-point victory margin over WCC opponents.

What to expect on Thursday

St. Mary's has dominated the boards and will continue to prove tough against the Zags. The Gaels are ranked seventh in the country, averaging 42.3 rebounds per game. They also average 8.5 more rebounds than opponents per game, placing them sixth in the nation.

Gonzaga has exhibited strong defense this year. They are ranked sixth in the nation for defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to an average of 36.1 percent.

Expect the Zags to continue balanced scoring against the Gaels. There are four players on the team that average double figures, with less than five points separating the top four.

This balanced scoring will prove problematic for the Gaels. They can't just shut down one or two Zag players and expect to win.

Who to watch on the Gaels

Watch for Diamon Simpson. He has proven problematic for the Zags in the past for scoring and rebounding.

Who to watch on the Zags

Watch for another great game from, well, just about any of the starters. The key for victory for the Zags will be to shut down the inside game and prevent second-chance opportunities on the boards.

Overall, this is the game of the season in the West Coast Conference. Both teams have been playing well, and neither team will back down easily.

However, the advantage goes to the Zags. They are hosting the Gaels at home and have dominated all conference teams thus far.

Can you name the two teams with the current longest consecutive winning streaks in NCAA basketball?

No? If you guessed the Saint Mary’s College Gaels (18-1, 5-0 WCC) with 15 straight wins and the Utah State University Aggies (18-1, 6-0 WAC) with 13 straight, you are correct. If not, don’t worry—you aren’t alone.

These two teams have more in common than you’d think. Both suffer from a little “East Coast bias,” as neither has gotten much love from the pollsters so far. Saint Mary’s broke into the coaches' at No. 22 this week, but Utah State has been shut out so far.

Both teams suffer from a lack of a quality schedule. Saint Mary’s boasts a strength of schedule (SOS) rating of 265, with their biggest win coming on the road against a pretty mediocre Oregon team.  Utah State isn’t far behind with a SOS of 235 and one big win against an inconsistent Utah team in Logan.

For all their flaws, these teams are doing what it takes to fill up the W column. In fact, both teams are undefeated at both home and on the road, losing their one game of the season on a neutral court (to UTEP and BYU respectively). 

Saint Mary’s should start turning heads after thrashing conference rival San Diego 65-42 last night in front of a national TV audience.  The Gaels are lead by Australian Olympian point guard Patrick Mills, who leads the team in points (18.9 per game), assists (4.1 per game), steals (2.6 per game), and minutes played (34 a game).

It’s not just a one-man show in Moraga though; junior center Omar Samhan and senior forward Diamon Simpson both average a double-double a game.

WCC bully Gonzaga looms large next Thursday. An upset against the ‘Zags should get the Gaels into the national conscious.

Utah State, on the other hand, is quietly taking care of business in the WAC with a new hero every night.  After taking out the second place Boise State Broncos 79-65 last week (behind sophomore forward Tai Wesley's stat-stuffing 26-point, eight-rebound, four-assist, five-steal night), the Aggies held on to beat San Jose 62-58 on the first leg of the dreaded Hawaii road trip.

A win on the islands on Saturday night (or Sunday morning, depending on your time zone) should equal a top 25 ranking for the Aggies when perennial conference foe Nevada comes to town next week.

If both teams can keep up their winning ways, you should see their names pop up on Selection Sunday regardless of how their conference tournament pans out, and they would make for an excellent head-to-head matchup for an ESPN Bracket Buster in February.

Australia may be Randy Bennett’s ticket to the big time.  The coach of the St. Mary’s Gaels should get some serious play after the 2008/2009 season.  With North Carolina State’s Sidney Lowe, Oregon’s Ernie Kent, Kansas State’s Frank Martin, and Illinois’s Bruce Weber all on the proverbial hot seat, Bennett’s recruiting abilities ‘down under’ should make him a candidate for a job in a major conference.

Bennett’s latest greatest find Patty Mills is poised to lead his team back to the NCAA Tournament promise land. He is averaging 20 points per game and is shooting over 30 percent from three-point range.  One of the youngest players in Australian National Team history, Mills is the son of a Torres Strait Islander father and Aboriginal mother from the Ynunga people of South Australia.  At just 20 years-old, he is probably the most famous Aborigine basketball player of all time.

Randy Bennett was no stranger to Australia having recruited four other players St. Mary’s since his arrival in 2001, including Daniel Kickert, the Gaels' all-time leading scorer.  Sports Illustrated reported in January that other schools including Utah were interested in Mills, but only Bennett made the trip to Australia to meet his parents Benny and Yvonne.

It is Bennett’s desire to succeed and go the extra step that make him one of the up and coming coaches in the college game.  He is 127-90 with a pair of at-large NCAA Tourney appearances during his St. Mary’s tenure.

Bennett is a recruiting hound.  Before coming to St. Mary’s he served as recruiting coordinator for St. Louis University and Pepperdine. At Pepperdine Bennett delivered a 1997 Top-20 nationally ranked class, which included talented players such as Kelvin Gibbs, Jelani Gardner and Tommie Prince. 

A coach that will travel to the outback of Australia, to find players, should be the top of many AD’s wish lists.   Bennett, however, is being cautious of his next step. The last couple of years he has spurned advances by Hawaii, Cal, and Oregon State simply because he had more talent in his locker room in Moraga than these schools had combined.

Look for Bennett’s ‘Australian Pipeline’ to challenge Gonzaga for supremacy of the West Coast Conference this season.  Then look for Bennett to take a high profile job next summer.

Does anyone know how long the flight is to Sydney from Champaign, Illinois?

March 2009 should once again provide much excitement for the West Coast Conference, with Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and San Diego all vying for the NCAA Tournament next season.

It seems very odd for a small conference to be getting multiple bids, let alone three, but the WCC has proven that it can contend with the best of them.  All three conference representatives had some very impressive wins last year.

Gonzaga held wins over Western Kentucky, Connecticut, and Saint Mary’s.  San Diego defeated Saint Mary’s twice, beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena, and Gonzaga.  Saint Mary’s recorded wins against Oregon, San Diego State, Gonzaga, and Drake.

Gonzaga has been a tournament automatic for the past 11 years, and this does not look like it will change.  The biggest factor for the Bulldogs' success next season was senior Jeremy Pargo returning to Gonzaga for his final season.  The WCC Player of the Year averaged over 14 points and five assists per game.

The Bulldogs return everybody from last season except for David Pendergraft.  Sophomore Austin Daye, who many believe to be a future NBA lottery pick, was in the running for WCC Freshman of the Year and shot over 50 percent from the field in his first year in Spokane.

Saint Mary’s lost two key role players to graduation in seniors Todd Golden and Tron Smith, but they will return four of the starting five that won 25 games last season.

The Gaels’ squad is highlighted by the possible Olympian, Patty Mills.  The WCC Freshman of the Year led the Gaels in scoring, assists, and steals.

Moraga has become a second home to Australians, as the Gaels will run four Aussies with rumors of a fifth on the way.  Seniors Carlin Hughes and Lucas Walker played pivotal roles for the Gaels’ run to the NCAA Tournament.

Indiana transfer junior Ben Allen will provide a larger inside presence and offensive firepower, both of which Saint Mary’s lacked last season.

San Diego returns their entire roster, and the theme of the WCC powers is stellar point guards.  Senior point guard Brandon Johnson helped lead the Toreros to their first WCC Championship since 2003.  Johnson also led the charge to the NCAA Tournament upset of fourth-seeded Connecticut.

The return of center Gyno Pomare is also huge for San Diego.  He was an All-WCC First Team member, along with Johnson.  Other key components for San Diego are Rob Jones and De’jon Jackson.

With the Missouri Valley Conference having a down season and conferences like the Pac-10 losing a great deal of talent to the NBA Draft, this opens the opportunity for the WCC to break through and get multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga is in most preseason top-25 rankings, with Saint Mary’s and San Diego also getting consideration.

For some Cougar fans, basking in the afterglow of a terrific season of basketball may not have lasted very long. It’s lasted about as long as it takes to flame the fires of blogger’s keyboards. That doesn’t take long…unless the blogger is waiting for his pc to boot up Vista!

So what’s the concern? What’s the problem? Why the long face?

Here’s the dealio…

The rumor mills are ripe with stories about Coach Tony Bennett heading off to take over the Indiana University basketball program. Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports cites the administration at Indiana having made the offer to Coach Bennett just one day after the Cougs were defeated by UNC in the Sweet 16. Oh my!

Andy Katz of ESPN is reporting just the opposite. His source is named to support a contrary position. The source? Ah… Coach Bennett was contacted by ESPN.com and specifically stated that he has NOT been offered the job at Indiana.

Who’s right here?

Well, Coach Bennett fueled the rumor mills by dodging the question about whether he was considering the Indiana job. This was during the press conference following the Cougs final game of the season.

But wait. There’s more…

With Cal looking for a new head man to fill their opening, Coach Bennett’s name has been mentioned as a candidate. Cal showed their 12 year head Coach Ben Braun very little respect by firing him almost as soon as the team’s jet landed back home following the Bears final loss of the season in the NIT. Since that time, speculation is running wild as to who will take over for Cal. However, there was some hint given to the search priorities by the school athletic director, Sandy Barbour. Specifically, she is looking for a coach with “a proven track record”.

Digging a little deeper into this story, it appears that one of the prime candidates for the Cal job is Coach Bennett. There’s a twist though. Barbour and the Cal search team is supposedly taking a look at Coach Randy Bennett of St. Mary’s of the West Coast Conference. Another WCC head man, Coach Mark Few is on the rumored list.

For the sake of Cougar Nation, let’s hope the Cal job search doesn’t include our Coach Bennett.

In the meantime, let’s return to the enjoyment provided by our Cougs this past season. Rather than repeat what others have waxed on about, let me put it very simply.

“It’s great to be a Coug these days!”

GO COUGS!!!

The Texas Longhorns enter the tournament with one of the best teams they've had in the Rick Barnes era, and considering where they'll be playing, the Horns probably have the second-best team in terms of the path they will take on the road to the Final Four.

Texas, with the loss to Kansas last Sunday in the Big 12 Championship Game (for the thirrd consecutive year), was named a #2 seed in the South Region, which actually was a better announcement than being a #1 seed in the Midwest. Why? Texas plays the first 2 rounds in Little Rock, Arkansas (a 7-8 hour drive, not bad for the NCAAs), then plays the regionals (assuming they are not upset on Friday or Sunday) in Houston, as opposed to Ford Field in Detroit (about 1,400 miles away as opposed to 150). Playing Memphis as the estimated Elite Eight teams wouldn't be much different than playing Georgetown, who probably would have more home-court advantage in Detroit than even Kansas, let alone Texas. 

For the first round, Texas is playing Austin Peay, the OVC champions. They have been hot as of late, winning 11 of their final 12 games, though their biggest win was against Georgia Southern during the run. They did play both Vanderbilt and Memphis in the regular season, losing to Vandy by 14 and the Tigers by 22. Texas will probably somewhere within that realm, and if they lose, would be among the five biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history (especially since they'd be the fifth 2-seed to lose in the first round). I doubt that will happen and Texas should cruise.

The Governors (yes, that is the Peay's mascot) are a very balanced team, with five players scoring in double figures, all between 10.9 and 14.6 points a game. They are a running team as well, scoring 74.6 a game and forcing almost ten steals per contest. However, they only play one player above 6-6, Tomas Janauskas, and the 6-8 center only plays 3 minutes a contest. Texas potential size issues when playing 3 guards under 6-2 as they typcially do will not be a factor in this game.

The next game will be against either the Miami Hurricanes or Saint Mary's from the West Coast Conference. Matching up against St. Mary's will be a bit surprising, as Texas already played the Gaels at home early January in what Horns coach Rick Barnes cited as one of the best performances by his team this season in an 81-62 blowout. The second matchup would probably be closer, as the Arkansas crowd will likely feature enough Razorback backers that remember the SWC days with the Horns enough to back the 10-seed underdogs should they matchup with Texas.

I still think the Longhorns would win, relatively comfortable, probably around ten or so. Many analysts would hype the point guard matchup between First-team All-American D.J. Augustin and talented freshman Patrick Mills, though in the first meeting, Texas completely shut down Mills to the tune of 12 points, one assist, and five turnovers, while Augustin finished with 30 points and four assists. 

However, I think the matchup would be a lot more interesting if the Hurricanes faced off against Texas in the second round. The matchup would be the team's first since 1989, where Texas won 123-104 in Austin. While the score will undoubtedly not be that expansive, the game could be closer than people think for one major wild card: Frank Haith. Haith is the head coach of Miami, but what a lot of casual observers don't know is that Haith was the Associate Head Coach for Rick Barnes during the team's Final Four run in 2003, before heading off to take the head job in Miami, where he got the program back to the NCAAs after a six-year hiatus.

The 'Canes also score about 75 a game and are typically a quick shooting team, though they only shot 44% from the field this year. Miami is a much deeper team than any of Texas' other potential first weekend opponents, playing nine guys at least 14 minutes a game. Jack McClinton is the go-to guy for the Hurricanes, scoring 17 a game and is a similar quality 3-point shooter as AJ Abrams, making nearly 3 threes a game and shooting 43% from behind-the-arc. However, Miami's inconsistent play and streaky shooting mean a likely nod in the Horns favor, though the wild card of Haith's knowledge of Barnes and the Texas system (which is still quite a bit different from four years ago) might give Miami a puncher's chance. 

If Texas is going to make a deep run in this tournament, there will need to be some unsung heroes that can make an impact to boost Texas when the typical stars of Augustin, AJ Abrams, and Damion James can not get it done on their own. In the Final Four run of 2003 and the Elite Eight run of 2006, several less heralded players were deeply important to helping Texas continue its season:

2003: 1st R vs UNC-Asheville: Brian Boddicker 14 pts, 12 rebs off bench

2nd R vs Purdue: Deginald Erskin scores 11 points in 15 minutes

Sweet 16 vs UConn: James Thomas goes up against future partial POY Emeka Okafor and has 13 pts and 15 rebounds, Texas wins by 4.

Elite 8 vs Michigan St: Sydmill Harris and Boddicker combine for 27 off the bench in a nine-point win.

2006: 2nd R vs NC State: freshman backup PG AJ Abrams scores 16 points and has 5 assists in 75-54 win.

Sweet 16 vs W Virginia: Mike Williams has 9 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, and Kenton Paulino his a GW 3 as time experiences to win 74-71.

Elite 8 vs LSU: Senior Brad Buckman, delegated to the fourth-option with stars PJ Tucker, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Daniel Gibson taking a lot of shots, scores 13 points and grabs 14 rebounds, including a hustle play that kept a play alive that allowed Gibson to hit an OT-forcing 3.

There's a few role players that could fit, whether Justin Mason and Connor Atchley, both starters but not necessarily offensive weapons (though Atchley has been changing that idea slowly during the season). The 4-post crew coming off the bench, featuring freshmen Gary Johnson, Alexis Wangmene, Clint Chapman, and sophomore Dexter Pittman all may have a game where their low-post scoring is key to the game.

Texas' expectations, which coming into the season would have been, at best, a Sweet 16 appearance is now nothing less than a Final Four run. I would believe their season is a success if they make it to the Elite Eight and play down to the wire, especially if the opponent is Memphis, but also in general. The team could very easily make some noise over the next three weeks. 

This year's NCAA tournament is ripe with Cinderellas looking for a dance with Prince Charming.

However, the one with the most realistic shot at a deep tourney run is St. Mary's.

The Gaels were ranked in the high 20s for much of this past season and finished the year with a fantastic 25-6 record and a respectable RPI of 39.

Despite these numbers, the Gaels will enter this year's dance relatively unheralded and seem poised for a deep run this year due to their consistency and the chip on their shoulder.

St. Mary's also boasts some impressive wins against 28-4 Drake, the surging Oregon Ducks, and Seton Hall.

The Gaels' draw of opponents doesn't exactly hurt them either.

First, they face a Miami team that will be without senior center Anthony King, who injured his wrist earlier in the year. This game, presuming the Gaels win, will be followed by a showdown with second seeded Texas.

Although the Longhorns have a rock solid starting five highlighted by A.J Abrams and D.J. Augustin, the depth behind them is mediocre and Abrams and Augustin will be fatigued by the time they play St. Mary's.

Unlike its potential opponents, St. Mary's doesn't have any truly eye-popping talents on its team, but they do have a deep team with all five starters averaging at least eight points per game.

Freshman guard Patrick Mills, who averaged 14.5 points per game season, has the quickness and skill on offense to take over games.

The Gaels' front line isn't bad either as forward Diamon Simpson and center Omar Samhan combined for 24 points and 17 rebounds per game. Their presence on the low block could hurt a small Texas team late in games.

As far as players go, the X-Factor for St. Mary's is, without a doubt, senior guard Todd Golden. Although Golden averaged just seven points per game this year, his three-point field goal percentage was an astonishing 45 percent.

If Golden gets hot, he will keep the Gaels in any game regardless of the circumstances.

St. Mary's is also solid on the sidelines.

Head coach Randy Bennet has led his team to two of its five all-time NCAA tourney bids within the past four years. His experience on a national stage and the leadership he provides his team in pressure moments will be invaluable for St. Mary's.

In just a few short days, every college basketball fan will remember the Gaels, and for good reason.

Mid-Major Power Rankings presented by collegesportspro.com

*In this case, mid-majors are classified as teams from a conference that traditionally sends no more than two teams to the NCAA tournament.  Gonzaga, Butler and Memphis have been excluded due to their repeated tournament success.*

#1 Xavier 12-1 (24-4) — Atlantic 10

Player to Watch G Drew Lavender, 11.3 ppg 4.5 apg

The Musketeers are separating themselves from the A 10 pack and asserting themselves on a national stage with every passing day. Keep this up for a couple more years, and they’ll be elevated to Memphis, Gonzaga and Butler status. They’re a well oiled machine that will make waves in March.

#2 Davidson 18-0 (21-6) — Southern Conference

Player to Watch G Stephen Curry 25.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.9 apg

The Wildcats had a very tough non-conference schedule that worked against them in the form of a 4-6 record. Losses against Charlotte and Western Michigan will probably be held against them on Selection Sunday. But going undefeated in any conference says volumes about a team. The experience of competing with UCLA, Duke and UNC has served them well and will help if they stay strong and make the tournament. It’s amazing that a team who could go undefeated in conference play is being discussed as a bubble team. If only they had beat the Broncos and 49ers.

#3 Drake 14-2 (24-3) — Missouri Valley

Player to Watch G Josh Young 16.5 ppg

Beating Butler in Indianapolis is just what the doctor ordered for the Bulldogs. They now have a very large win away from home to go along with an impressive resume. They also quickly stopped the bleeding caused by a home loss against Bradley earlier in the week. With two games to play, Drake has the MVC regular season locked up and an at-large bid on ice. Interesting note: the Bulldogs have not won a game by more than 10 points since January 12. It will be very interesting to see how the strangers to the national spotlight stack up come tournament time.

#4 Kent State 11-2 (23-5) — MAC

Player to Watch G Al Fisher 14.4 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.8 rpg

The Golden Flashes jump into the 4 spot after a big win at St. Mary’s on Saturday — a place no other team has won this year. Al Fisher has become a solid scorer for the Flashes as the year has progressed, raising his average from 11 ppg to 14.4 ppg in the last 12 games. They go 9 or 10 deep, which is a must for a team with less star power looking to make some national waves.

#5 (tie) BYU 10-2 (21-6) — Mountain West

Player to Watch G/F Lee Cummard 16.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.2 apg

The Cougars were riding a 9 game winning streak heading into the weekend but got knocked back to earth by San Diego State. Big man Trent Plaisted had a rough game in which he failed to get to the line for the first time in his career. The Cougars face another tough test at New Mexico on Tuesday. The continued development of BYU’s young bench will be key in the stretch run. Freshmen Jimmer Fredette, Chris Collinsworth and Mike Loyd, Jr. and Sophomore Chris Miles have all shown signs of promise. They just need to consistently produce at a high level when guys like Cummard and Plaisted are on the bench or having an off night.

#5 (tie) St. Mary’s 10-1 (23-4) — West Coast

Player to Watch G Patrick Mills 14.8 ppg, 3.5 apg

To the Gaels’ credit, C Omar Samhan was limited to 8 minutes in Saturday’s match up with Kent State. Unfortunately, a loss is still a loss and the Gaels will need to regroup quickly as they take on San Diego on Monday night. The loss of Samhan means F Diamon Simpson has to shoulder a wider load down low. Patrick Mills has to shake off a bad outing against the Flashes and reassert himself as the scorer and creator that he is. This week will be huge for the Gaels as they have a chance to knock off both San Diego and Gonzaga on their way to a WCC title. Will that happen? I give them at least 1-1. The loss of Samhan hurts, but they’ve still got a load of talent that can step up and win ball games.

Teams on Watch
UAB
South Alabama
VCU
Houston