MORAGA, Calif. — A new season officially begins as 2022 comes to a close, with Saint Mary's Men's Basketball opening up West Coast Conference play this week. The Gaels will begin their conference slate with a home contest against San Diego on Thursday night before heading to Santa Clara for a Saturday affair on New Year's Eve.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (10-4) vs. San Diego Toreros (7-7)
Thursday, December 29 at 6:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
Stream: WCC Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Get Tickets
 
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Santa Clara Broncos (12-3)
Saturday, December 31 at 4:00 pm
Leavey Center – Santa Clara, Calif.
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area (Barry Tompkins, Dan Belluomini)
Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels needed a win in the second leg of the Jerry Colangelo Classic, and they got just that. Saint Mary's took down Wyoming 66-54 inside the Footprint Center on December 21, going a perfect 2-0 in the multi-day event that spanned 11 days. This got Saint Mary's back on track after dropping a home game to Colorado State 62-60 on December 18, their second loss at home this season after winning 23-straight on their home court. While the Gaels still allowed the Pokes to shoot 50% for the game, Wyoming turned it over 19 times, and the Gaels were +11 on the offensive glass.
 
JOHNSON JAMMIN'
The Boost Mobile Player of the Game at the Jerry Colangelo Classic, Logan Johnson had a career-night as he helped SMC take down Wyoming on Wednesday in Phoenix. He scored a career-best 28 points in the win, going 12-22 from the floor and 4-9 from three-point range, the most threes he's ever made in a game. Johnson was also a standout on the defensive end of the floor, with five steals (tying a career-best) and a block, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists. He closes out non-conference play with seven games of 11 points or more. It was nearly one year ago (Dec. 28, 2021) when he set his previous career-best of 26 points against Yale.
 
ABOUT SAN DIEGO
The Toreros are in a new era of hoops after the hiring of Steve Lavin as head coach. Lavin is the former head coach of both UCLA and St. John's, and has eight NCAA Tournaments on his resume, including five Sweet 16 appearances and one trip to the Elite Eight. Along with Lavin came a few new players, including Eric Williams Jr. from Oregon, and he's been stealing the show. Williams Jr. is averaging a double-double per game (15.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg) and is the owner of a 43-point game when he lit up the Aggies of Utah State on November 17, a point total that is tied for fourth-most in a single game in the NCAA this season. Despite allowing teams to shoot 47% from the floor, they make nearly 75% of their free throws to make up for the deficit. The Gaels won both matchups against the Toreros last season and have won 16-straight against USD dating back to 2014.
 
ABOUT SANTA CLARA
There was some uncertainty about just how good the Broncos might be in 2022-23 after losing a lot of talent from the previous year. They've put those questions to rest, winning 12 of their first 15 games on the season, including nine of their last 10. In terms of common opponents, they also own wins over Wyoming (89-85 in OT) and New Mexico State (66-65). The real star of the show has been the addition of Illinois transfer Brandin Podziemski, who scored 30 and 34 points in his first two games as a Bronco, en route to averaging 18.3 ppg with 8.5 rpg. Like the Gaels, Santa Clara is great on the offensive glass, ranking ninth in the country in offensive rebound percentage, according to KenPom. The Broncos took down the Gaels while SMC was ranked last season in Santa Clara.
 
VIEIRA FAMILY COURTYARD IS OPEN
The Vieira Family Courtyard is officially open, located adjacent to University Credit Union Pavilion. The courtyard will serve as an addition to the pavilion and offer an extended food, beverage and entertainment area for fans before and during basketball games.
 
Thanks to the generous support from Jim and Julie Vieira, the courtyard will now feature the Forge Pizza truck by Fourth Bore, food options from the Good Eating Company and beverages by Canyon Club Brewery and BLACKENED American Whiskey.
 
Fans can enter UCU Pavilion through the main entrance and enter the courtyard from the northeast and southeast side of the Pavilion. The courtyard will serve as an extended lobby for the pavilion. Pregame activities for all games start 90-minutes before tip-off.
 
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM
All Saint Mary's Men's Basketball gameday programs will be virtual during the 2022-23 season, and the third edition can be found HERE. In it, fans will find information about the first NET Rankings of the season, updated awards information, and details about the next five games for SMC.
 
2022-23 YEARBOOK
The 2022-23 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.