MORAGA, Calif. — West Coast Conference play is in full swing this week as the Gaels host Loyola Marymount on Thursday at 6:00 pm and head to San Francisco on Saturday at 8:00 pm. Both games will be televised, with Thursday's game being available nationally on CBS Sports Network, and Saturday's being available on regional sports networks around the country, including NBC Sports Bay Area.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (14-4, 3-0 WCC) vs. Loyola Marymount Lions (12-6, 2-2)
Thursday, January 12 at 6:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Dan Dickau)
Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Get Tickets
 
Saint Mary's Gaels at San Francisco Dons (12-7, 1-3)
Saturday, January 14 at 8:00 pm
War Memorial at The Sobrato Center – San Francisco
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area
Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's is coming off another perfect week, highlighted by a blowout win against Portland on Saturday night. In that 85-43 win, the Gaels limited the Pilots to just 14 points in the first half, and they made more shots from the free throw line (18) than from the field (12). Everything went right for the Gaels in the win, who got a 15-point, 14-rebound performance from Mitchell Saxen and a career-best 12 points off the bench from Harry Wessels. Perhaps most impressive was holding the Pilots to just 1-19 from three-point range, and preventing them from getting a single steal in the win.
 
TOP-TEN METRICS
Despite being the fifth-best team in the "receiving votes" category of the most recent AP Poll, which translates to No. 30 in the country, Saint Mary's is impressing in the eyes of advanced metrics. The Gaels made program history over the weekend by cracking into the top-10 in both the NET Rankings and according to KenPom, the first time in program history the Gaels have done this. They are currently ranked eighth in the NET Rankings, the primary tool used by the NCAA for the selection process for the NCAA Tournament. SMC is also ninth in KenPom, taking offensive and defensive efficiencies into account. The Gaels lead the West Coast Conference in both rankings.
 
ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
This is an improved season for the Lions, who struggled last year in the second season with head coach Stan Johnson. They swept their way through the Jamaica Classic, with wins over Georgetown and Wake Forest, while also beating BYU inside Gersten Pavilion for their second WCC win. They also have some tough losses, highlighted by a road loss at Pacific and a home loss to UC Riverside. Like SMC, they do a great job on the offensive glass, but they also rank in the bottom-35 in the country in assists per field goal made (Gaels rank top-five in the NCAA at preventing assists per field goal made). Cam Shelton and Keli Leaupepe account for 32.6 of the team's 75.8 points per game.
 
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO
The Dons have been a tough team to figure out under first year head coach Chris Gerlufsen. They won their first six games of the season and crushed then-No. 25 Arizona State in late December, but they also have losses to UT Arlington and San Diego, which wrecks their chances at an NCAA Tournament bid. There's still plenty of talent on this team, led by Khalil Shabazz and his 15.2 points per game, followed closely by Tyrell Roberts at 14.8 points per game. This team takes a lot of threes, at 49.7% of their field goal attempts, but they make 34% of their shots from downtown.
 
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 fourth edition can be found HERE. In it, fans will find information about various rankings and recent results, while looking ahead to the next five conference 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.