Saint Mary's Heads Into NCAA Tournament At Highest Seed In Program History
MORAGA (KPIX 5) -- The Saint Mary's men's basketball team spent years living on the NCAA Tournament bubble and waiting to hear if their name would be called on Selection Sunday. That was not the case this year.
The Gaels are one of the top 20 teams in the country and earned their highest seed in program history.
"I think we will look back one day and say that's super cool," head coach Randy Bennett said after the selection show. "But hopefully that's not the only thing we're talking about because we have bigger goals than that."
Saint Mary's is the 5th seed in the East region. They will head to Portland this week and play either Wyoming or Indiana. The Gaels know they can play with anybody after beating top-ranked Gonzaga earlier this season in Moraga.
The Gaels' roster is filled mainly with unheralded recruits who don't mind doing the dirty work and now has the potential for the program's deepest run ever.
"Gritty, not pretty," joked forward Kyle Bowen. "We have a bald guy, a guy with a mullet. But we lock down on defense and get gritty."