PROVO, Utah — No. 22 Saint Mary's Men's Basketball makes one final trip to Provo, Utah as they square off against the BYU Cougars on Saturday night. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT inside the Marriott Center, with the game televised on ESPN2. This will mark the final trip to BYU with both teams as members of the West Coast Conference, as BYU is leaving the conference at the end of the season.
 
THE DETAILS
No. 22 Saint Mary's Gaels (18-4, 7-0) at BYU Cougars (14-9, 4-4)
Saturday, January 28 at 7:00 pm PT
Marriott Center – Provo, Utah
TV: ESPN2 (Dave Flemming, Sean Farnham)
Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
It seems to be said on a weekly basis, but the Gaels might have turned in their best week last week, snagging a pair of West Coast Conference wins. First the Gaels defeated Pepperdine on the road by 29 points in a 73-44 win. The Gaels were shooting a bunch of three-pointers (11-29 3FG) and held the Waves to their lowest point total of the season. Then, the Gaels returned home and thumped Santa Clara 77-58, using a pair of big runs in each half to distance themselves from the Broncos. Saint Mary's also shot 52.6% from the floor and only turned the ball over eight times. With the win, SMC swept their season series with SCU.
 
READY TO BE RANKED
It took 12 weeks, but Saint Mary's Men's Basketball broke through and entered the AP Top-25 for the first time this season. In the most recent poll, Saint Mary's is ranked No. 22, effectively a five-spot jump from where they were last week. In the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Gaels find themselves up from No. 24 last week to No. 22 this week. Not only are the Gaels climbing in both polls, but they are still going up in both the NET Rankings and in KenPom. Saint Mary's is No. 6 in the NET Rankings and No. 7 in KenPom, the highest the program has ever been in both rankings. The Gaels lead the West Coast Conference in both, with Gonzaga sitting just outside the top-10.
 
ABOUT BYU
It's been quite a rollercoaster of a season for BYU from the beginning, as they gained a reputation for playing to the level of their competition. They had narrow early season wins over Idaho State and Missouri State before actually losing to Utah Valley at home on December 7. That spurred a seven-game winning streak, including a win over then-No. 21 Creighton, but since then, they are just 2-4 with three road losses. They've still been great at home, with a 9-2 record, and their defense has been strong, ranking 30^th in the NCAA in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, while limiting teams to just 42.4% shooting. They feature a balanced and deep scoring attack on offense, with five players averaging over 8.5 points per game.
 
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM
All Saint Mary's Men's Basketball gameday programs will be virtual during the 2022-23 season, and the fifth 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.