St Marys Gaels Basketball tickets

'About Saint Mary's Gaels Basketball'

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Team: Saint Mary’s College Gaels

Sport: NCAA Division I Men's Basketball

Conference: West Coast Conference

Location: Moraga, Calif.

Arena: McKeon Pavilion

Notable Players: Jock Landale, Tom Meschery, Matthew Dellavedova, Omar Samhan, Al Lewis, Patrick Mills

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'Saint Mary’s Gaels Basketball Tickets'

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Saint Mary’s College, a small private Catholic school in the California Bay Area, has left a larger imprint on Division I basketball than its size would suggest. Though the team made NCAA Tournament appearances in 1959 and 1989, Saint Mary’s truly began to flourish as a program in the West Coast Conference during the latter 2000s. Randy Bennett, who took over as head coach in 2002, led Saint Mary’s into a new era. During his tenure, the team has won the WCC regular-season championship three times (2011, 2012 and 2016), accumulated more than 400 wins (a school record) and consistently made the AP top 25 poll and the NCAA Tournament. His deepest run in the tournament was a Sweet Sixteen berth in 2010. Bennett also led Saint Mary’s to its first-ever 30-win season in 2018, which ended with an overtime loss to

Utah

in the NIT quarterfinals. If you are a fan of the team, purchase Saint Mary’s Gaels' basketball tickets at StubHub, a leading source for live events.

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'What was Saint Mary’s record last season?'

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Saint Mary’s College finished the 2018-2019 regular season with a 22-12 overall record and 11-5 in the conference. The team beat

Gonzaga

for the West Coast Conference Championship. This made them an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament, however, they lost to Big East team

Villanova

61-57 in the first round of March Madness.

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'What are the top games on Saint Mary’s 2019-2020 basketball schedule?'

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Saint Mary’s entered the 2019-2020 season ranked No. 20 in both the AP and the Coaches Poll. To keep that ranking, they'll need to perform well when they face

Wisconsin

,

Utah State

,

California

and

Arizona State

. During the conference part of the schedule, Saint Mary’s has a home/away series against

BYU

on Jan. 9 and Feb. 1, respectively. This is interspersed with home games against

Santa Clara

on Jan. 11 and

San Francisco

on Jan. 23. Saint Mary's also plays rival

Gonzaga

at home on Feb. 8 and a season ender away on Feb. 29. The West Coast Conference Tournament follows in March.

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'How big is the McKeon Pavilion?'

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The

McKeon Pavilion

, which originally opened in 1978, has an approximate seating capacity of 3,500 for basketball games. It is part of the larger Brother U. Albert Rahill Activity Center, which includes the Madigan Gymnasium, Saint Mary’s Stadium and the SMC Recreation Field.

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'What is a Saint Mary’s game like?'

'McKeon Pavilion might be a mid-sized college arena, but its loud atmosphere exerts an outsize influence on opposing teams. The official student section known as the Gael Force leads the arena in cheers and chants. The Saint Mary’s Sports Band, a volunteer ensemble of musicians, performs music, including the school’s fight song, at all home games. The team’s mascot, Gael, shows up for every home game as well.'

'Who are the Gaels' most important rivals?'

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Saint Mary’s shares a rivalry with fellow conference school

Gonzaga

from Spokane, Wash. In the 21st century, Saint Mary's and Gonzaga have become the dominant teams in the West Coast Conference. The outcomes of their games regularly decide either the regular-season conference champion or the tournament champion. In one of the more memorable games of the rivalry, Saint Mary’s beat Gonzaga 60-47 in the finals of the 2019 West Coast Conference Tournament. Saint Mary’s also shares historical rivalries with local Bay Area teams the

San Francisco Dons

and

Santa Clara Broncos

.

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