ABOVE: The Gaels' Logan Johnson shoots against BYU. / Photo by Tod Fierner/SMC Athletics
Gaels Beat BYU — and Coach Randy Bennett Is a Contender for Coach of the Year
Saint Mary’s Men’s Basketball is poised to claim the West Coast Conference title. Coach Bennett is one of 15 coaches nationally in the running for the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year. And the AP Poll puts SMC at No. 15 in the country.
When it comes to men's basketball, the rivalry between Saint Mary's and Brigham Young University might not be as old as some others, but it is one of the fiercest on the West Coast. On Saturday night in Moraga, these two programs played in what will be their final West Coast Conference matchup. Inside of a red-clad University Credit Union Pavilion, Saint Mary's emerged with the final win in the rivalry, taking down BYU 71–65.
The Gaels are now 24–5 on the season and lead the WCC in league play with a 13–1 record.
Johnson & Johnson
It was a Johnson & Johnson show in the first half, with BYU’s Spencer Johnson and SMC’s Logan Johnson trading blows. Spencer had a BYU-best 12 points in the first half, and was hitting shots from seemingly everywhere, going 5–7 from the floor while making both shots from beyond the arc. Logan was just a shade better, though, going 7–10 from the floor for 14 total first half points. They were the primary source of offense early on, but as the game progressed, only one Johnson kept up the scoring.
Clutch Players Make Clutch Plays
For the Gaels, Logan Johnson and Aidan Mahaney kept the energy up in the second half. If it weren't for some big plays made by both, the outcome might have been different. Mahaney spurred a 7–0 run midway through the second half with a three-pointer, his first of the game. A separate 7–0 run by the Gaels made it a 59–46 lead with 7:41 remaining. That run was aided by Johnson, who had a wide-open dunk up the baseline to start it, and then he added two more layups for good measure.
BYU clawed back into the game, and 13-point lead became a 63–62 game with just 1:59 remaining. But Johnson and Mahaney came to play. Johnson got another tough finish to make it 65–62, and then after a Gaels stop, Mahaney hit a left-wing three that essentially iced the game with 46 seconds left on the clock.
Coach Bennett Getting Recognized on the National Stage
Saturday’s big win was preceded by more exciting news on Friday: Saint Mary's Men's Basketball Head Coach Randy Bennett was named to the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List. Bennett is one of 15 head coaches chosen for this prestigious list.
With just two games remaining in the regular season, Bennett has the Gaels in position to win at least a share of their first West Coast Conference regular season championship since the 2015–16 season. The Gaels are one game up over Gonzaga, with the final game of the regular season lining up to be the game that determines whether it's an SMC title or a shared title. Saint Mary's last won the regular season championship outright during the 2011–12 season.
This season, Randy Bennett won his 500th career game, all at Saint Mary's, and is the 25th coach all-time to reach 500 wins with one program. He has taken the Gaels to 15-straight postseason appearances, with seven of those being NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program's lone Sweet 16 appearance in 2010. Last year, the Gaels were a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the best seed the program has ever received.
Gaels Ranked No. 15 in the Country
The Associated Press released its latest rankings for college basketball on February 20. The Gaels land at No. 15 in the country in the poll of sportswriters and broadcasters. That’s up two from last week. In the USA Today Coaches Poll, Saint Mary's notches up even higher: to No. 14 in the nation.
Dive into the metrics and things look even better: Saint Mary's is No. 6 in the NCAA NET Rankings, and No. 7 according to KenPom, both the best rankings that Saint Mary's has ever held in either metric. The Gaels have been residing in the top-10 in both since the turn of the new year, and have been leading the WCC ever since.
Defense has always been a staple of Saint Mary's teams, and that is once again the case during the 2022–23 season. SMC ranks fourth in the country in scoring defense, and is the fourth-best rebounding team in the NCAA in terms of rebound margin. They were the last team in the NCAA to allow a team to score more than 70 points in a game, going the first 25 games without allowing a team to cross the 70-points scored threshold.
Home Stretch: Pacific on Thursday, Gonzaga on Saturday — for ESPN Game Day
The final week of the regular season is about as jam-packed as it can be, with two very different, yet important games.
First up is the Gaels only game against the Pacific Tigers this season, on Thursday night at 7 p.m. inside University Credit Union Pavilion. That game will serve as Senior Night for SMC—the final home game of the year. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Corbin Burnes SMC Baseball Gnome; the Saint Mary’s alum, who pitches for the Milwaukee Brewers, was the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner.
The first 500 fans on Thursday’s game will receive a Randy Bennett 500 Win T-Shirt, all presented by Common Interest Management.
The Gaels head to Spokane for a Saturday showdown—and a game that could decide the regular season championship in the WCC. Tip-off against No. 12 Gonzaga is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night. That game has also been picked up by ESPN for College Gameday, so expect potentially millions of fans to be watching the Gaels in this final game of the regular season.
Story updated February 20 at 10:40 a.m.
READ MORE from SMC Gaels Athletics:
No. 17 Saint Mary’s Downs BYU in their Final WCC Showdown
Bennett Named to Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List