Ronald Gallagher slid through the packed doorway of the Soda
Center wearing his Sunday best, suit, dress shirt, tie – and to
complete the outfit, a pair of spotless Nike high-tops, black of
course.
Ronald Gallagher slid through the packed doorway of the Soda Center wearing his Sunday best, suit, dress shirt, tie – and to complete the outfit, a pair of spotless Nike high-tops, black of course.
Saint Mary’s College of California’s President came prepared for the men’s NCAA Tournament selection show party, garbed to impress the 500 other Gaels supporters who donned everything from crimson cashmere sweaters to red and blue face paint. As for the shoes? Gallagher had a lot of pacing ahead of him.
The college basketball regular season was finally over. The 11th hour struck, and nothing was decided – at least not for Saint Mary’s and others hoping to grab one of 34 at-large bids to the tournament.
“I have no idea what’s going to happen,” Gallagher said to an alumnus.
The response: “We’ll get in.”
“I hope so.”
“We will, we will.”
“I hope.”
The Gaels’ party started at 3 p.m., but the celebration came 24 minutes later. After chuckles for play-in candidate Mount Saint Mary’s, a gasp for No. 11 Saint … Joseph’s, boos for conference rival Gonzaga (No. 7), louder boos for Southern California (No. 6), there was, finally, elation for Saint Mary’s, the perfect No. 10.
Official NCAA T-shirts and tickets for Friday’s first-round matchup between the Gaels and No. 7 Miami went on sale immediately, leaving one to ponder just how secretive the NCAA Selection Committee actually is.
Regardless, the number crunchers got it right this year – right enough, anyway.
With this season’s batch of leading at-large candidates, they really could do no wrong. Saint Mary’s – with its 25-6 record, ratings percentage index (RPI) of 35 and second-place finish in the West Coast Conference – edged a slew of attractive tournament snubs, including Dayton, Illinois State and Ohio State, who each had stronger RPIs. The Gaels lost three of their last five games to end the season and were on the outside looking in Sunday; eyes glued to the projection screen as Greg Gumbel announced the field – true to form as a mid-major.
“We were a little nervous,” admitted Todd Golden, the lone returning player from the Gaels’ last tournament team in 2005. “We worked so hard this year. We hope to do our fans proud.”
Saint Mary’s turned heads early in the season with its 12-point upset over then-No. 11 Oregon (a No. 9 tournament selection) on Nov. 20, and its season-split with powerful Gonzaga. Saint Mary’s fell twice to San Diego, but was bailed out by the Torero’s impressive run to the WCC Tournament title.
“They were a lot tougher than people thought,” Gaels’ coach Randy Bennett said of San Diego. “When they won the tournament, it was good for this conference. We have some good teams that are going to surprise some people, I think.”
The Gaels had remarkable efforts this year from breakout freshman Patty Mills and junior Diamon Simpson, who averaged 14.5 and 13.6 points per game, respectively. They also have credibility for a mid-major, now being a five-time tournament invite.
Saint Mary’s biggest clinchers, though, may have been its consistency. The Gaels seldom strayed far from the AP Top 25, receiving votes up until the final week of the regular season. Saint Mary’s bounced back from hiccup losses to Southern Illinois with impressive win streaks and reeled off five straight after a 19-point loss at Texas – the South Regional No. 2 seed, which the Gaels could meet in the second round.
Twenty-plus game winners Illinois State (23-9) and Virginia Commonwealth (24-7) showed similar consistency but lacked a daunting conference slate. Arizona State and Dayton – arguably the biggest snubs – did not, but were undone by their respective 9-10 and 9-9 conference marks, plus early conference tournament exits.
Saint Mary’s humbling 1-1 mark in the WCC tourney got a boost from the Gaels’ 12-2 finish in conference play. Keep in mind, the WCC was a sexy division this year, drawing a record three bids from a selection committee that couldn’t pass up No. 22-ranked Gonzaga – who could?
“We knew Gonzaga was probably getting, but for us it wasn’t for certain,” Bennett said. “Not too many people outside of Northern California know where Saint Mary’s even is. Hopefully after this year they will.”
San Diego, the WCC automatic invite, received a No. 13 seed – much to the continued joy of the Gael faithful.
Savor the flavor Saint Mary’s – a lot can change in a year.
