Saint Mary's Back In The Big Dance
MORAGA (KPIX 5) – Saint Mary's is back in the NCAA tournament after a four year absence. The Gaels earned a 7-seed and will play 10-seed VCU in Salt Lake City on Thursday at 4:20 PM.
The Gaels went 28-4 in the regular season, but lost the WCC championship game last week and had to hope for an at-large bid.
The team watched the selection show at McKeon Pavilion and nervously waited until the end of the broadcast when their name was finally revealed.
"It just makes your name get called even more sweet," said head coach Randy Bennett. The Gaels are making their sixth tournament appearance in the Bennett era.
If they beat VCU and then Arizona in the second round, Saint Mary's would advance to the sweet sixteen at SAP Pavilion in San Jose.
Thursday's tournament schedule on KPIX 5
9:15 AM: Princeton vs Notre Dame
11:45 AM: Bucknell vs West Virginia
4:10 PM: TBA vs Villanova
6:40 PM: Virginia Tech vs Wisconsin
Stay tuned for the March Madness postgame show with Dennis O'Donnell and Dan Belluomini for complete Saint Mary's tournament coverage.