MORAGA, Calif. — It doesn't get much bigger than this week for No. 18 Saint Mary's Men's Basketball. The Gaels are back inside University Credit Union Pavilion for a pair of home games as they look to keep themselves atop the West Coast Conference. Saint Mary's hosts San Francisco on Thursday night at 8 pm on ESPNU before hosting No. 12 Gonzaga on Saturday at 7:30 pm on ESPN. Tickets for Saturday's Gonzaga game are sold out.
 
THE DETAILS
No. 18 Saint Mary's Gaels (19-4, 8-0) vs. San Francisco Dons (15-9, 4-5)
Thursday, February 2 at 8:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
TV: ESPNU (Dave Flemming, Sean Farnham)
Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Get Tickets
 
No. 18 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (18-4, 7-1)
Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
TV: ESPN (Dave Flemming, Sean Farnham)
Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats 
 
LAST TIME OUT
Mahaney Mania was the story in Provo, Utah as Saint Mary's stunned the BYU Cougars on a last-second shot from freshman guard Aidan Mahaney. With 0.3 seconds left and the Gaels down by one, Mahaney hit a difficult, turnaround, fadeaway jump shot that beat BYU 57-56. In what was the tenth win in a row for the Gaels, they led by as many as 11 points early in the game, and by as many as eight points in the second half. Five Gaels reached double-digits in points, and Mitchell Saxen added his fifth double-double of the season (11 points, 10 rebounds).
 
MADE FOR MORAGA
Either game on tap this weekend could be historic for Randy Bennett, as he goes for win number 500 as head coach of the Gaels. He sits at 499 wins as the Gaels are riding a 10-game winning streak. His 499 wins are 26^th-most among active NCAA head coaches, and sixth-most among active coaches at their current institution. Not only would a win push him to 500 career wins, it would also be 15^th time in the last 16 seasons (with only the 2020-21 COVID year as an exception) for the Gaels winning at least 20 games in a season. Bennett is the reigning WCC Coach of the Year, and a four-time winner of the award.
 
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO
The loss to Saint Mary's on January 14 seems to have kickstarted a good run for the Dons, who have won three-straight in the time since. Their offense has started rolling again, as the Dons have scored 84.7 points per game over their last three WCC games. USF was extremely efficient on offense last Saturday against San Diego, where they shot 61.8% from the field en route to scoring 94 points on the Toreros. After nearly getting blanked by the Gaels, Khalil Shabazz has gotten his touch back, scoring 21 and 26 points in his last two games. Tyrell Roberts has scored at least 10 points in every game, including 30 in a win over BYU on January 21.
 
ABOUT No. 12 GONZAGA
The Bulldogs can score points with the best teams in the country, but their defense has struggled this season. Per KenPom efficiency, this would be the worst Gonzaga defense since the 2005-06 season, and only the second time they've been outside the top-40 in defensive efficiency since 2010-11. But, their offense has scored 100+ points six times already this season, so it might not be a major concern. Drew Timme might be the best player in college basketball, averaging 21.4 points per game while shooting 60.8% from the floor. Julian Strawther is coming off of a 40-point performance against Portland.
 
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 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.