MORAGA, Calif. — Selection Sunday came and went, and Saint Mary's men's basketball now knows where and when they will be playing in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA. For the second year in a row, Saint Mary's is a number-five seed in the tournament, and will be playing in Albany on Friday, March 17 against VCU.
 
Saint Mary's is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, the second time in program history they have done so, with the other time from 2012-13. This is the 13^th trip to the NCAA Tournament for Saint Mary's in program history, including the canceled 2020 NCAA Tournament, and the tenth time under head coach Randy Bennett. With another NCAA Tournament berth secured, the Gaels will be in the postseason (NCAA or NIT) for the 16^th-straight year, the fourth-longest active streak in the country behind Kansas, Michigan State, and Gonzaga.
 
This year's matchup is against VCU, who the Gaels have history with in the NCAA Tournament. These two programs met when Saint Mary's was a seven-seed and VCU was a ten-seed in Salt Lake City for the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, where the Gaels got past the Rams 85-77. That is the only time the two programs have met, with the upcoming matchup in New York being the second.
 
VCU is coming into the tournament with a lot of momentum, winning nine-straight and having won the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Sunday morning, beating Dayton in the title game 68-56. They are 27-7 through the end of the tournament, and one of the things that stands out about the Rams is their defense. They rank 17^th according to KenPom in defensive efficiency, and 23^rd in fewest points per game. Their style of defense also creates a lot of turnovers, ranking 16^th in the NCAA in most turnovers forced.
 
By virtue of owning a top-five seed for the second-straight year, Saint Mary's becomes the first true mid-major basketball program to receive a top-five seed in consecutive NCAA Tournaments since Saint Louis from 2013-14. Last year as a program-best five seed, Saint Mary's beat Indiana by 29 points, which was the largest NCAA Tournament loss in program history for the Hoosiers.
 
Information about tickets for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament can be found HERE. More information about the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament, including a full preview of the first two rounds, will be out on SMCGaels.com later this week. Tip-off is preliminarily scheduled for 11:00 am PT on TBS.