Saint Mary’s Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 4, 2020 · Scott Whittum
 

Saint Mary’s Gaels

West Coast (26-8, 11-5)

 
Saint Mary’s built off their West Coast Conference tournament title last by winning 24 games in the regular season and contended all year long for the regular season title. The Gaels are a resilient bunch as they got off to an 11-2 start before losing starting forward/center Matthias Tass to a season ending ACL injury. It took a little bit of time for Saint Mary’s to adjust to life without Tass, but as they head into the postseason, they look like one of those teams that could cause some problems for a higher seed.
 
Big Wins: 11/5 vs Wisconsin (65-63), 12/18 vs Arizona State (95-56), 1/9 BYU (87-84)
Bad Losses: 11/11 Winthrop (59-61), 1/4 at Pacific (99-107), 1/11 Santa Clara (66-67)
Coach: Randy Bennett
 
Why They Can Surprise:
Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts are a dynamic 1-2 punch that will dictate how far the Gaels will go in the NCAA Tournament. Ford can beat you attacking the basket and from the perimeter on any given night as he is averaging 21.9 points per game on the year. Fitts, is averaging 16.5 points per game and is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor as well. As a team, Saint Mary’s is very effective shooting the basketball from the field as they are making 48.3 percent of their shots from the floor as a team. They are also scoring well over 70 points per game, which will give them a shot to win any game in the NCAA Tournament. They also have some good wins over Wisconsin, Arizona State and BYU where they won scoring as few as 65 points and as many as 96 in the win over the Sun Devils.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Gaels are not elite defensively as they are allowing teams to score 66.9 points per game and shoot 45.2 percent from the floor as well. If Saint Mary’s doesn’t force opponents into enough difficult shots, they could end up exiting the NCAA Tournament earlier than they would like. The inability to force enough turnovers could end up being costly as well as the opposing teams are only turning the ball over 11.9 times per game. Also, the lack of having Tass available in the NCAA Tournament could cause the Gaels some issues if they draw a team in the first round with a deep frontcourt.
 
Probable Starters:
Jordan Ford, Senior, Guard, 21.9 ppg, 2.3 apg
Tanner Krebs, Redshirt Senior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 2.2 apg
Tommy Kuhse, Redshirt Junior, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 3.8 apg
Malik Fitts, Redshirt Junior, Forward, 156.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg
Dan Fotu, Sophomore, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg
 
Key Role Players:
Alex Ducas, Freshman, Guard/Forward,3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Kristers Zoriks, Redshirt Sophomore, Guard, 3.7 ppg
Jock Perry, Redshirt Junior, Center, 3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Elijah Thomas, Redshirt Junior, Forward, 2.3 ppg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.3 (45th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.9 (110, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.3 (11, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.2 (291, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (74, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.7 (3, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.2 (44, 2)
Rebound Margin: 2.4 (112, 4)
Assists Per Game: 12.1 (252, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.8 (2, 1)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Villanova
2018 NIT First Round win over Southeastern Louisiana
2018 NIT Second Round win over Washington
2018 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Utah
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over VCU
2017 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Arizona
2016 NIT First Round win over New Mexico State
2016 NIT Second Round win over Georgia
2016 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Valparaiso
2015 NIT First Round loss to Vanderbilt
2014 NIT First Round win over Utah
2014 NIT Second Round loss to Minnesota
2013 NCAA Opening Round win over Middle Tennessee
2013 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Memphis
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Purdue
2011 NIT First Round loss to Kent State
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Richmond
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Villanova
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Baylor
2009 NIT First Round win over Washington State
2009 NIT Second Round win over Davidson
2009 NIT Quarterfinal loss to San Diego State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Miami
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Southern Illinois
 
*all team stats through 3/8