SAN BRUNO, Calif. — After releasing their non-conference schedule earlier this week, Saint Mary's Basketball has received their West Coast Conference slate for the 2025-26 season. While not official dates are set in stone, the Gaels will know who their opponents are and what weeks they will be playing said opponents. As adopted in June by the West Coast Conference Presidents' Council, the default days of the week for conference men's basketball games are Wednesday and Saturday. Games selected by the WCC national television partners (ESPN and CBS) may move games outside of these days. The final conference schedule with all dates outlined will be shared at the conclusion of national television selections. Please also note, weekday games selected for national television will impact the weekend games regardless of national television opportunities. For example, if a game is selected by one of the national television partners for Thursday, the two programs competing in that game will play their next game on Sunday if those programs have a scheduled weekend game.

Here's a look at the 2025-26 WCC Slate:

Sunday, Dec. 28 at LMU
Tuesday, Dec. 30 at Pepperdine
Friday, Jan. 2 vs. Portland
Sunday, Jan. 4 vs. Seattle
Saturday, Jan. 10 vs. Washington State
Tu/Wed/Thu, Jan. 13 - 15 at San Francisco
Sat/Sun, Jan. 17 OR 18 at Santa Clara
Tu/Wed/Thu, Jan. 20 - 22 vs. Oregon State
Sat/Sun, Jan. 24 OR 25 at Portland
Saturday, Jan. 31 at Gonzaga
Tu/Wed/Thu, Feb. 3 - 5 vs. San Diego
Sat/Sun, Feb. 7 OR 8 vs. San Francisco
Tu/Wed/Thu, Feb. 10 - 12 vs. Pepperdine
Sat/Sun, Feb. 14 OR 15 at Pacific 
Tu/Wed/Thu, Feb. 17 - 19 at Seattle
Sat/Sun, Feb. 21 OR 22 at Washington State
Tu/Wed/Thu, Feb. 24 - 26 vs. Santa Clara
Saturday, Feb. 28 vs. Gonzaga

AN EARLY GAUNTLET 
After playing their final non-conference game with Northern Iowa on December 22, the Gaels will have a six day layoff before opening conference play with a stretch of four games in eight days. Conference play will open up for Saint Mary's on the road in Southern California, heading to LMU and Pepperdine for their lone WCC contests in 2025. The Gaels will then celebrate the new year with with a pair of home games against Pacific Northwest foes including the first ever WCC clash between SMC and new member Seattle U. Saint Mary's will then get a six day break until their next contest, but it will be the second time that the Gaels will be asked to play four games in the span of eight days, doing the same when the play UC Merced on Nov. 22, followed by the three game in three day Battle for Atlantis from Nov. 26 to 28. 

SPEAKING ABOUT THE REDHAWKS…
The Gaels will see WCC newcomer Seattle University twice this season, once on January 4 in Moraga and once in Seattle on either February 17, 18 or 19. The Redhawks went 14-18 last year, but prior to that enjoyed three straight 20+ win seasons under the direction of Head Coach Chris Victor. Look for the Redhawks to try and make a statement in their first year as WCC members. 

LOOKING TO EXACT REVENGE
The Gaels open up the fourth week of conference play with a trip across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco for another epic clash with the USF Dons. The Dons were the lone team to beat the Gaels in WCC play last season, doing so at the Sobrato Center by a narrow 65-64 scoreline. It was San Francisco's first win over the Gaels since 2019. Saint Mary's will look to restart another win streak at the Hilltop this year. 

THE END OF THE ERA
Arguably the best rivalry in the WCC, Saint Mary's and Gonzaga will square off for the final two times as conference foes on January 31 in Spokane and February 28 in Moraga. The Gaels-Zags rivalry has brought a postseason feel every year since the arrivals of Mark Few to Spokane in 1999 and Randy Bennett to Moraga in 2001. Over the last three seasons, the Gaels have experienced unprecedented success against the Zags, winning five of their last nine meetings, including three of their last four. That success has helped the Gaels capture at least a share of the WCC Title in each of those three years. The Gaels will look to keep this momentum rolling in these final two regular season WCC meetings with the Zags.