MBB | Gaels Prep for Big Week Versus Toreros, No. 2 Zags

MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's will have an important week ahead of them as they face San Diego on the road tomorrow before gearing up for their biggest test so far this season as they host No. 2 Gonzaga on Saturday. Both games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks with Thursday's contest on ESPNU and Saturday's game on ESPN.

GAME INFORMATION
Game No. 24 vs. San Diego (8-16, 1-8 WCC)
Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 6 at 8:00 p.m. PT
Location: Jenny Craig Pavilion (San Diego, Calif.)
TV: ESPNU (Roxy Bernstein, Corey Williams)
Radio: Tune In (Alex Jensen)
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
Gaels' all-time head to head record: 53-36 (Last meeting: 3/11/19, N, SMC 69 — USD 62)

Game No. 24 vs. Gonzaga (23-1, 9-0 WCC)
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7:00 p.m. PT
Location: University Credit Union Pavilion (Moraga, Calif.)
TV: ESPN (Dave Flemming, Sean Farnham)
Radio: Tune In (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
Gaels' all-time head to head record: 30-69 (Last meeting: 3/12/19, N, SMC 60 — GU 47)

BATTLE AT THE TOP
Six teams in the West Coast Conference are closely packed among the top of the conference standings as Saint Mary's and BYU are both 6-3 and San Francisco, Pepperdine, Santa Clara, and Pacific are all 5-4.

The top two teams in the WCC will get a double bye in the conference tournament.

ABOUT SAN DIEGO
The Toreros are 8-16 this season and are tied with Portland for last place in the conference at 1-8. The team's lone WCC win came against the Pilots on the road. Earlier in the year, USD defeated Fresno State but also fell to Long Beach State.

San Diego lost their top four scoring options from last season including standouts Isaiah Pinero and Olin Carter III. Leading the team this year is transfer junior Braun Hartfield who is tallying 13.7 points per game and sophomore Joey Calcaterra at 12.0. As a team, the Toreros are shooting 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point land.

Saint Mary's has won the last 12 matchups against San Diego dating back to 2014 and have taken 17 of the previous 18 meetings. The teams most recently met in the WCC Championship semifinals last March where USD put up a fight but the Gaels prevailed with a 69-62 win en route to winning the championship.

ABOUT GONZAGA
Gonzaga is currently ranked No. 2 in the country after spending four weeks earlier this season atop the basketball world. The Zags are 23-1 and 9-0 in conference play but were given a scare on the road last week on the Hilltop as San Francisco forced a four-point game Saturday. Prior to coming to Moraga, GU will host Loyola Marymount in Spokane.

Gonzaga has the top offense in the country with six players in double figure points this season. Filip Petrusev leads the team at 17.0 ppg and is also their top rebounder at 7.8 boards per game. Ryan Woolridge is Gonzaga's top ball distributor with 4.5 dimes per game while Joel Ayayi isn't far behind at 3.7 apg.

Saint Mary's has been the Zags' most competitive opponent during conference play since Bennett took over in 2001 and are 5-13 against GU in Moraga during that time. In the teams last meeting, the Gaels stunned No. 1 Gonzaga in Las Vegas during the WCC Championship with a 60-47 win to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. It was SMC's first ever win over a No. 1 program and it handed GU just their third loss to that point of the season (30-3).

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's and BYU went back and forth in an offensive slugfest inside Marriott Center but the Cougars would prevail on a last second three to come out on top, 81-79.

The play of the game came in the final 10 seconds as senior TJ Haws pulled up from outside the arc and hit his third trey of the game to put BYU up two with 8.5 remaining.

After a timeout, Jordan Ford would get a clean look on a floater for the tie but his shot bounced out and Kyle Bowen's ensuing try was blocked to close out the game.

Malik Fitts led Saint Mary's with a game-high 29 points, one off his career-high, and was 11-for-16 from the field and 4-of-6 from deep. He grabbed eight boards but picked up four fouls in a three minute span to leave the game with 4:36 remaining.

THE LATEST FROM JOEY BRACKETS
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently has three teams from the WCC predicted to make the NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga, BYU, and Saint Mary's.

Lunardi currently has Saint Mary's as a 9-seed playing 8-seed Michigan in Sacramento. SMC did not move seedings after their loss to BYU.

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Players Mentioned

#24 Malik Fitts: F; 6' 8"; Redshirt Junior

#3 Jordan Ford: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#14 Kyle Bowen: F; 6' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#24 Malik Fitts
: 6' 8"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#3 Jordan Ford
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#14 Kyle Bowen
: 6' 8"; Freshman
: F

Players Mentioned

#24 Malik Fitts

#3 Jordan Ford

#14 Kyle Bowen

Players Mentioned

#24 Malik Fitts

#3 Jordan Ford

#14 Kyle Bowen