PORTLAND, Ore. — After putting up one of the most impressive postseason wins in Saint Mary's history, the fifth-seeded Gaels are onto the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Their next opponent is fourth-seeded UCLA on Saturday afternoon, as both California schools battle for a spot in the Sweet 16. Tip-off is set for 4:10 pm PT on TBS.
 
THE DETAILS
No. 5 Saint Mary's Gaels (26-7) vs. No. 4 UCLA Bruins (26-7)
Saturday, March 19 at 4:10 pm PT
Moda Center – Portland, Ore.
TV: TBS (Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Andy Katz)
Radio: Westwood One (Ryan Radtke, Dan Dickau)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's rolled past No. 12 Indiana in the First Round to the tune of an 82-53 victory on Thursday afternoon. The game started out about as even as could be, as neither team led by more than four points for the first 12-plus minutes of the game. After trailing 21-17, Saint Mary's opened up an impressive 50-12 run that spanned over 18 minutes to take over complete control of a weary Indiana squad. Four Gaels reached double-figures, led by Logan Johnson (20) and Tommy Kuhse (12).
 
SECOND HALF SURGE
The Gaels didn't need to make many changes in the second half, as they took advantage of what could have been a worn-down Hoosiers squad. Saint Mary's blitzed the Hoosiers to the tune of a 42-25 thumping in the second half, where the Gaels owned every aspect of the game. SMC shot 56.7% from the floor in the second half compared to just 26.9% for Indiana, who failed to make a shot from beyond the arc. Points in the paint were also heavily in favor of the Gaels, by a 20-10 margin.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT FACTS – ROUND ONE
The win on Thursday marks the largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament win for Saint Mary's, and the largest margin of defeat in NCAA Tournament history for Indiana…the 82 points put up by the Gaels are the second-most they've scored in an NCAA Tournament game (85, VCU, 2017)…Saint Mary's made 10 shots from beyond the arc on Thursday, the most they've ever made in an NCAA Tournament game.
 
SECOND ROUND HISTORY
Saint Mary's has only reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on two other occasions: in 2010 and 2017. That first trip in 2010 was special, as the Gaels upset No. 2 Villanova 75-68 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first and only time in program history. In 2017, the Gaels faced Arizona in the second round, and held a lead in the second half before dropping the game 69-60 in Salt Lake City.
 
ABOUT UCLA
UCLA survived a tough game against No. 13 Akron on Thursday night, advancing to the Second Round thanks to a 57-53 win. They did so in spite of a quiet game from Johnny Juzang, who scored just nine points in the win. The Bruins lost in the Pac-12 championship game to Arizona 84-76, but they did beat USC twice and Arizona once in conference play. They also own wins this season against NCAA Tournament teams in Villanova and Marquette. Similarly to the Gaels, they protect the basketball, with just 9.1 turnovers per game (3^rd fewest in the NCAA), and they led the Pac-12 in scoring defense (64.5 PPG).