MORAGA, Calif. — The 2022-23 regular season will conclude this week for No. 15 Saint Mary's men's basketball, and it is set to end with a bang. Two huge games are on tap for the Gaels, with Senior Night and a potential West Coast Conference championship on the line. SMC hosts Pacific on Thursday night at 7:00 pm for the final home game of the year before heading up to No. 12 Gonzaga in the final regular season game.
 
THE DETAILS
No. 15 Saint Mary's Gaels (24-5, 13-1) vs. University of the Pacific Tigers (13-16, 6-8)
Thursday, February 23 at 7:00 pm
University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area (Barry Tompkins, Mike Montgomery) and other RSNs
Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen, Dave Lewis)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Get Tickets
 
No. 15 Saint Mary's Gaels at No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (23-5, 12-2)
Saturday, February 25 at 7:00 pm
McCarthey Athletic Center – Spokane, Wash.
TV: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Sean Farnham)
Radio: Sirius XM – 134 (Matt Chazanow, Dan Dickau)
Audio: The Varsity Network (Alex Jensen)
Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels were able to snag a couple of wins last week in games that the Gaels led by large amounts only to see the game tighten up down the stretch. On the road against San Diego, the Gaels led by 23 points with less than 12 minutes to go, but won by just three points after they did not make a field goal over the final ten-plus minutes. Against BYU on Saturday night, the Gaels led by as many as 13 points in the second half before the Cougars made it a one-point game. Saint Mary's wound up winning the game by six thanks to enough offense down the stretch from Logan Johnson (27 points) and Aidan Mahaney (14 second-half points).
 
NOTABLES
Thursday night's game in the last chance to see the Gaels at home during the 2022-23 season, representing senior night. SMC will honor Logan Johnson, Alex Ducas, Kyle Bowen, and Matt Van Komen before the game. Additionally, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Corbin Burnes Saint Mary's Baseball garden gnome, presented by Common Interest Management. In 2021, Burnes became the first Gael to ever win a Cy Young award, doing so for the Milwaukee Brewers. A Saint Mary's win in the game would ensure the Gaels gather at least a share of the regular season WCC title.
 
The week continues at Gonzaga with a loaded Saturday in Spokane. The game was chosen for ESPN's College GameDay coverage, which takes place on ESPN at 7:00 am. It will then be the featured game on ESPN that evening, with the A-team of Shulman and Bilas calling the game. If both teams win on Thursday, then this game holds massive postseason implications. A Saint Mary's win would give the Gaels their first outright WCC regular season title since 2012. A Gonzaga win would mean both teams share the WCC title, the first time that's happened since 2016.
 
ABOUT PACIFIC
This is the first matchup between both Saint Mary's and the Tigers since 2021 after COVID-19 wiped out last year's game. It's been an up-and-down season for Pacific, but they are right in the running for a decent seed in the West Coast Conference. Despite losing four of the last five games, they are tied for fifth in the standings but could also fall to eighth if they lose their final two games. Keylan Boone has made an immediate impact on this team, transferring over from Oklahoma State, and leading the team with 14 points per game. Luke Avdalovic is also having a ridiculous season from beyond the arc, shooting an incredible 52.9% on 121 attempts. They are vulnerable down low, where they get out-rebounded by six on average.
 
ABOUT GONZAGA
Gaels fans got a taste of how good Gonzaga can play when they led by 11 points in Moraga on February 4, but they also saw how Gonzaga can be vulnerable on the defensive side. They have the best offense in the country, scoring 87.5 points per game, but they are allowing 74.2 points per game at the same time. Since they scored just 70 points in the overtime loss in Moraga, they've put up at least 88 in the last four games, including 97 or more in three of those wins. Drew Timme had 23 points in their first meeting this season, but the dangerous Julian Strawther had just 10 points. Gonzaga has had at least a share of the WCC title in every season since 2012.
 
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 final edition can be found HERE. In it, fans will find information about various rankings and recent results, while looking ahead to the end of the regular season.
 
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.