MORAGA, Calif. — Non-conference college basketball tournament season is upon us, as the Gaels will head to Las Vegas to take part in the Continental Tires Main Event. The four team tournament will feature the Gaels as well as San Diego State, Washington and Xavier and will take place inside T-Mobile Arena. Saint Mary's will take on defending National Runner Ups San Diego State in the opening round of the tournament Friday night at 6:30 PM, before getting a shot at Xavier or Washington on Sunday. This marks the second time that the Gaels have played in this event, having also appeared in it in 2018.

THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. San Diego State Aztecs
Friday, November 17 at 6:30 PM
T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas, Nev.
Watch | Listen | Live Stats

Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Washington Huskies/Xavier Musketeers
Sunday, November 19 (Time TBA)
T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas, Nev.
Watch | Listen | Live Stats

A GOLDEN STATE BATTLE
Over the past decade, the two winningest college basketball programs in the state of California are San Diego State (256) and Saint Mary's (247). The two teams have proven to be the gold standard for college basketball in the golden state, and they will meet for the 15th time in the two programs' histories on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup with a loss on their early resume, and both hope to exit T-Mobile Arena on Friday evening still with just one loss. The two National Tournament teams from a year ago squared off last in the Jerry Colangelo Classic in 2022, where the Gaels got the best of the Aztecs in a 68-61 slugfest. Saint Mary's returners Aidan Mahaney and Alex Ducas combined for 37 points in that one, while San Diego State returner Lamont Butler scored 11. This epic matchup will decide who will play for the Continental Tires Main Event Title on Sunday evening , and who will play in the third place game on Sunday afternoon.

WHAT A START FOR WESSELS!
Sophomore center Harry Wessels continues to be the most potent scoring option off the bench for Coach Bennett's squad. After scoring in double figures just once all of last season, the Aussie big man has scored in double-digits in each of the first three games of his sophomore season. Wessels has scored 11, 12, and 11 in his first three contests this season respectively,
shooting an incredible 82.4% from the field (14-17). The center is also averaging 6.3 rebounds per contest and 1.7 blocks per game, truly showing his value off the bench. 

ABOUT THE AZTECS
The 2022-23 National Runner Up Aztecs are off to a 2-1 start in 2023-24, with a pair of home wins over Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State sandwiching a loss in Provo to BYU. San Diego State is coming off of their fourth 30+ win season in the past 15 seasons, going 32-7, with one of those seven losses being at the hands of the Gaels. The Aztecs return two starters from last year's squad, Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammell, however, Trammell has begun the 2023-24 campaign in a sixth man role. Meanwhile, two key pieces off the bench from a season ago, Micah Parrish and Jaedon LeDee, have shifted into the starting lineup and are making immediate impacts. LeDee currently leads the team, averaging 25 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 62.5% from the field in the early going. USC transfer Reese Waters and second year Aztec Elijah Saunders round out the starting five for Head Coach Brian Dutcher's squad in his seventh season at the helm. The Aztecs defense currently ranks in the top-25 in steals per game (11.3) and hopes to force turnovers and to get out and score in transition, one of their keys to success. 

ABOUT THE HUSKIES
Just like the Gaels, the Huskies are off to a 2-1 start in their first three home games, with wins over Bellarmine and Northern Kentucky, and a loss to Nevada. Washington looks for a return to basketball prominence this season, as the team has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2019. The Huskies return their leading scorer, Keion Brooks Jr., and leading rebounder, Braxton Meah, from last season's 16-16 squad. Seventh year Head Coach Mike Hopkins also hit the transfer portal hard in the offseason, bringing in the likes of starter Paul Mulcahy (Rutgers), Moses Wood (Portland), Sahvir Wheeler (Kentucky) and Wilhelm Breidenbach (Nebraska), as well as rotation players Nate Calamese (Lamar) and Anthony Holland (Fresno State). The Huskies have excelled defensively this season, both inside and out, ranking in the top-25 in the country in blocks per game (6.3) and perimeter defense (22.2%). These two teams squared off last season in the Paycom Wooden Legacy, with Washington outlasted the Gaels in a defensive overtime slog, 68-64. Keion Brooks Jr. put up a 14 point, 11 rebound double-double, while Mitchell Saxen had a 19 points, eight rebound showing of his own. 

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS
Xavier rounds out the field of the 2023 Continental Tires Main Event, coming in with a record of 2-1, with home wins over Robert Morris and Jacksonville, and a road loss to Purdue. In his first season of his second stint at the helm of Xavier, Head Coach Sean Miller took the Musketeers to the Sweet Sixteen, and will hope his team can go even further in 2023-24. That said, this 2023-24 squad is nearly unrecognizable from last year's team. Desmond Claude, Jerome Hunter and Zach Freemantle all return from last season's squad, but only Claude has been able to suit up, with Hunter and Freemantle both dealing with injury. Instead, the team has relied heavily on newcomers like Quincy Olivari (Rice Transfer), Dayvion McKnight (Western Kentucky Transfer), Abou Ousmane (North Texas Transfer), Gytis Nemeikša (Bypaupas Magnes University (Lithuania) Transfer), Trey Green (Freshman, Prolific Prep), Dailyn Swain (Freshman, Columbus Africentric Early College HS), and Saša Ciani (Freshman, Slovenia). If the Gaels see Xavier in the final round of this tournament, it would mark the third ever meeting between the two programs, and the first since 1999. 

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