LAS VEGAS — After opening the 2021-22 season with four home wins, Saint Mary's Men's Basketball heads out on the road for the first time to take part in one of the most prestigious basketball tournaments in the country. The Gaels are appearing in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational for the first time in program history, with three games lined up over the three days before Thanksgiving. The only known opponent for Saint Mary's will be Notre Dame in round one on Monday night.
 
THE DETAILS
2021 Maui Jim Maui Invitational
November 22-24, SMC plays at 8:30 pm PT on Nov. 22
Michelob Ultra Arena – Las Vegas
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
After three games where Saint Mary's had pulled ahead of the opposition in the second half, the Bellarmine Knights hung tight against the Gaels for 40 minutes. SMC ultimately made enough plays late in the game to survive the Knights and win 73-64, improving to 4-0 on the season. Matthias Tass had a breakout game, after being shutout in his previous game, scoring a career-best 25 points on a perfect 8-8 from the floor. He also got to the free throw line 11 times, part of 31 total attempts from the Gaels.
 
OTHER IMPORTANT NUMBERS
Tommy Kuhse got back to his assist-happy ways, dishing out six assists to give him 367 in his SMC career, just five away from eighth place in program history...Kuhse was also the second-leading scorer behind Tass with 15…while the Gaels allowed Bellarmine to shoot 51.1% from the field, the Gaels limited the Knights to just five made three-pointers…Bellarmine was forced into a lot of errors from the Gaels defense, with 15 total turnovers leading to 14 Gaels points (14-6 advantage in points off of turnovers, 15-6 turnover advantage).
 
ABOUT THE MAUI INVITATIONAL
Beginning in 1984 with just four teams, the Maui Invitational has been one of the most successful and prestigious college basketball tournaments in the NCAA. Normally held at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui, this year's tournament heads to the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the second-consecutive season the tournament has been held outside of Maui, after the 2020 version of the tournament was held in Asheville, North Carolina. Teams that have participated in the Maui Invitational own 69 of the 81 NCAA championships and seven schools have gone on to win the NCAA championship after competing in the Maui Invitational earlier in the season.
 
ABOUT NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish have had a light schedule so far, with just two games on the ledger. They defeated CSUN and High Point, with both games coming at home in South Bend. Two games into the season, Notre Dame has outrebounded their opponents well, with a +11 rebound margin through two games (average of 42 versus 31). They also have not gone deep into their rotation yet, with just seven players seeing playing time in both games, and only eight players having been used. Preseason All-ACC Second Team guard Prentiss Hubb has gotten off to a rough start, going just 1-13 from beyond the arc and just 15% from the floor, but Paul Akinson Jr. is shooting 68.4% and is averaging 17.5 points per game to lead the Fighting Irish.
 
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM
All Saint Mary's Men's Basketball gameday programs will be virtual during the 2021-22 season, and the second edition can be found HERE. In it, fans will find a recap of the first four games of the season, player profiles, and information on the next six opponents of the season.
 
2021-22 YEARBOOK
The 2021-22 Saint Mary's Basketball Yearbook is available HERE. This contains all of your information on both Saint Mary's basketball programs, coach and player profiles, as well as Saint Mary's, administration, and fan information.
 
#GaelsRise — 2021-22 tickets and ticket packages are on sale now! To purchase tickets, click HERE. If you have questions, contact the ticket office by email smctickets@stmarys-ca.edu or call 925-631-4689…Saint Mary's Basketball…#TogetherAgain