Photo by: SMC Athletics / Piper Westrom
Kroner's Corner Season 2: SMC Heads Back to OKC for the Big Dance
3/17/2026 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Continued high-level success for a program such as the one Randy Bennett has built at Saint Mary's imbues confidence in the players, coaches, support staff and fans of that program.
That's an obvious benefit, but sometimes people can take for granted how difficult it is to meet that standard of almost expected 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Gaels have put together 18 consecutive 20-win seasons (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season) and have earned a fifth straight trip as a single-digit seed into the field of 68.
So, after SMC learned Sunday that it is a 7-seed and will take on 10-seed Texas A&M in Oklahoma City in a first-round South Region matchup Thursday, Bennett stressed that what his players have accomplished should be celebrated.
"These guys are special," Bennett said. "What they're doing is special. They just don't realize how special it is because they've been part of other teams that have done it.
"What they've done is elite."
Center Harry Wessels is the lone senior on this season's team. The 2025-26 Gaels are 27-5 and SMC earned at least a share of the WCC regular-season title for the fourth straight year by finishing tied with Gonzaga atop the conference standings at 16-2.
"I've just been very lucky to be surrounded by super-talented guys and great coaches that have put us in a position to be able to make the (NCAA Tournament) every year," Wessels said.
The Gaels are averaging 78.2 points per game this season, their highest output since they averaged 78.9 in 2010-11. Guard Mickey McConnell, currently an associate head coach on Bennett's staff, was the WCC Player of the Year in 2010-11.
In the previous season, McConnell, center Omar Samhan, forward Ben Allen and a freshman guard named Matthew Dellavedova led the Gaels to NCAA victories over Richmond and Villanova, enabling SMC to reach the Sweet 16.
In their eight trips to the NCAA Tournament since that Sweet 16 appearance in 2010, the Gaels have not managed to get past the second round.
"It's cool being in this position now," said sophomore guard Josh Dent, an All-WCC selection, "but like we've been trying to say, we want to cement our legacy above some of these (previous SMC) teams."
"No disrespect to them, but we want to get further and see what we can do."
First things first. The Aggies were 17-4 (7-1 SEC) through January but have lost seven of 11 since then and are 21-11 (11-7 SEC). First-year head coach Bucky McMillan had to rebuild almost the entire roster after he left Samford to take the Aggies' job April 5 of last year.
A&M averages 87.7 points per game, good for ninth in the nation through Sunday. Rashaun Agee, a 6-foot-8 forward who spent last season at USC, leads the Aggies in points (14.7) and rebounds (8.9) per game.
This will be the Gaels' third straight NCAA Tournament game facing an SEC opponent. Saint Mary's edged Vanderbilt 59-56 in a first-round game last year before falling 80-66 to Alabama.
Bennett said the vibe surrounding NCAA Tournament games "is just different. First of all, it's do or die. You don't win, it's over. So, there's that. Everybody feels that."
There's also the sense that almost any team can beat – or lose to – almost any other team. Two years ago, McMillan's Samford Bulldogs, a 13-seed, gave 4-seed Kansas quite a scare before the Jayhawks prevailed 93-89.
"When they tip that ball up," McMillan said, "it hits you that you're playing for a national championship. That's what makes the NCAA Tournament so great."
"I don't care if it's a 16-seed, a 13-seed like we were, 10 -- it doesn't matter. You're playing for a national championship."
On Thursday, the Gaels will face the Aggies, with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Idaho-Houston game Saturday.
"We're not going (to the NCAA Tournament) to win one or two games," Dent said. "We're going there to win as much as we can."
Said guard Mikey Lewis, another All-WCC selection: "We're extremely confident. … We've got the guys to do it.
"Nothing on our end but to go out and play."
OKC connections: This marks the Gaels' 12th NCAA appearance under Bennett. The first of those dozen came in 2005, when SMC also opened in Oklahoma City.
"The first time is the best time," Bennett recalled. "It's just so different. And we didn't know we were in that year."
"I remember we were over at Soda Center — we had a little watch party. … They called our name (and) Southern Illinois. It was pretty special."
SMC lost 65-56 to the Salukis. Another member of Bennett's current staff, assistant coach EJ Rowland, was the starting point guard on that 2004-05 team.
The Aggies have fond memories of Oklahoma City. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament in OKC 10 years ago, Texas A&M trailed Northern Iowa 69-57 with less than 40 seconds remaining in the second half.
Current Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso had a three-point play in the Aggies' 14-2 blitz to force overtime. A&M somehow prevailed 92-88 in two extra periods.
Coaching tree: Defending national champion Florida is the top seed in the South Region. The Gators' head coach is Todd Golden, a guard on two of Bennett's NCAA Tournament teams (2005, 2008).
Two of Bennett's former assistant coaches – Eran Ganot and Rick Croy – are head coaches at Hawaii and Cal Baptist, respectively.
Ganot and Croy led their teams to conference-tournament titles Saturday night, with Hawaii knocking off UC Irvine 71-64 to take the Big West crown and Cal Baptist slipping past Utah Valley 63-61 for the WAC championship.
"There's not much more gratifying," Bennett said. He then listed a few of the most gratifying things for a head coach.
"Seeing your team make the NCAA Tournament. Seeing one of your guys go pro, (to) the NBA. And seeing your coaches move on and have success.
"I was up watching both games (Saturday) night, cheering on my couch. It was fun. I was really proud of them."
Cal Baptist and Hawaii are each 13-seeds. CBU meets Kansas on Friday night. Hawaii faces Arkansas on Thursday afternoon. Hawaii assistant coach Rob Jones twice earned All-WCC honors as a forward for the Gaels and later served on Bennett's staff.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He just finished his second season working as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+.
That's an obvious benefit, but sometimes people can take for granted how difficult it is to meet that standard of almost expected 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Gaels have put together 18 consecutive 20-win seasons (excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season) and have earned a fifth straight trip as a single-digit seed into the field of 68.
So, after SMC learned Sunday that it is a 7-seed and will take on 10-seed Texas A&M in Oklahoma City in a first-round South Region matchup Thursday, Bennett stressed that what his players have accomplished should be celebrated.
"These guys are special," Bennett said. "What they're doing is special. They just don't realize how special it is because they've been part of other teams that have done it.
"What they've done is elite."
Center Harry Wessels is the lone senior on this season's team. The 2025-26 Gaels are 27-5 and SMC earned at least a share of the WCC regular-season title for the fourth straight year by finishing tied with Gonzaga atop the conference standings at 16-2.
"I've just been very lucky to be surrounded by super-talented guys and great coaches that have put us in a position to be able to make the (NCAA Tournament) every year," Wessels said.
The Gaels are averaging 78.2 points per game this season, their highest output since they averaged 78.9 in 2010-11. Guard Mickey McConnell, currently an associate head coach on Bennett's staff, was the WCC Player of the Year in 2010-11.
In the previous season, McConnell, center Omar Samhan, forward Ben Allen and a freshman guard named Matthew Dellavedova led the Gaels to NCAA victories over Richmond and Villanova, enabling SMC to reach the Sweet 16.
In their eight trips to the NCAA Tournament since that Sweet 16 appearance in 2010, the Gaels have not managed to get past the second round.
"It's cool being in this position now," said sophomore guard Josh Dent, an All-WCC selection, "but like we've been trying to say, we want to cement our legacy above some of these (previous SMC) teams."
"No disrespect to them, but we want to get further and see what we can do."
First things first. The Aggies were 17-4 (7-1 SEC) through January but have lost seven of 11 since then and are 21-11 (11-7 SEC). First-year head coach Bucky McMillan had to rebuild almost the entire roster after he left Samford to take the Aggies' job April 5 of last year.
A&M averages 87.7 points per game, good for ninth in the nation through Sunday. Rashaun Agee, a 6-foot-8 forward who spent last season at USC, leads the Aggies in points (14.7) and rebounds (8.9) per game.
This will be the Gaels' third straight NCAA Tournament game facing an SEC opponent. Saint Mary's edged Vanderbilt 59-56 in a first-round game last year before falling 80-66 to Alabama.
Bennett said the vibe surrounding NCAA Tournament games "is just different. First of all, it's do or die. You don't win, it's over. So, there's that. Everybody feels that."
There's also the sense that almost any team can beat – or lose to – almost any other team. Two years ago, McMillan's Samford Bulldogs, a 13-seed, gave 4-seed Kansas quite a scare before the Jayhawks prevailed 93-89.
"When they tip that ball up," McMillan said, "it hits you that you're playing for a national championship. That's what makes the NCAA Tournament so great."
"I don't care if it's a 16-seed, a 13-seed like we were, 10 -- it doesn't matter. You're playing for a national championship."
On Thursday, the Gaels will face the Aggies, with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Idaho-Houston game Saturday.
"We're not going (to the NCAA Tournament) to win one or two games," Dent said. "We're going there to win as much as we can."
Said guard Mikey Lewis, another All-WCC selection: "We're extremely confident. … We've got the guys to do it.
"Nothing on our end but to go out and play."
OKC connections: This marks the Gaels' 12th NCAA appearance under Bennett. The first of those dozen came in 2005, when SMC also opened in Oklahoma City.
"The first time is the best time," Bennett recalled. "It's just so different. And we didn't know we were in that year."
"I remember we were over at Soda Center — we had a little watch party. … They called our name (and) Southern Illinois. It was pretty special."
SMC lost 65-56 to the Salukis. Another member of Bennett's current staff, assistant coach EJ Rowland, was the starting point guard on that 2004-05 team.
The Aggies have fond memories of Oklahoma City. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament in OKC 10 years ago, Texas A&M trailed Northern Iowa 69-57 with less than 40 seconds remaining in the second half.
Current Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso had a three-point play in the Aggies' 14-2 blitz to force overtime. A&M somehow prevailed 92-88 in two extra periods.
Coaching tree: Defending national champion Florida is the top seed in the South Region. The Gators' head coach is Todd Golden, a guard on two of Bennett's NCAA Tournament teams (2005, 2008).
Two of Bennett's former assistant coaches – Eran Ganot and Rick Croy – are head coaches at Hawaii and Cal Baptist, respectively.
Ganot and Croy led their teams to conference-tournament titles Saturday night, with Hawaii knocking off UC Irvine 71-64 to take the Big West crown and Cal Baptist slipping past Utah Valley 63-61 for the WAC championship.
"There's not much more gratifying," Bennett said. He then listed a few of the most gratifying things for a head coach.
"Seeing your team make the NCAA Tournament. Seeing one of your guys go pro, (to) the NBA. And seeing your coaches move on and have success.
"I was up watching both games (Saturday) night, cheering on my couch. It was fun. I was really proud of them."
Cal Baptist and Hawaii are each 13-seeds. CBU meets Kansas on Friday night. Hawaii faces Arkansas on Thursday afternoon. Hawaii assistant coach Rob Jones twice earned All-WCC honors as a forward for the Gaels and later served on Bennett's staff.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He just finished his second season working as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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