2019–20 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represented Saint Mary's College of California during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Randy Bennett in his 19th season at Saint Mary's. The Gaels played their home games at the University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California as members of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 26–8, 11–5 in WCC play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated Pepperdine and BYU to advance to the championship game of the WCC Tournament where they lost to Gonzaga. Despite being a virtual lock to receive an at-large bid to NCAA Tournament, all postseason play was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019–20 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball
ConferenceWest Coast Conference
2019–20 record26–8 (11–5 WCC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaUniversity Credit Union Pavilion
2019–20 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 2 Gonzaga151 .938  312  .939
No. 14 BYU133 .813  248  .750
Saint Mary's115 .688  268  .765
Pacific115 .688  2310  .697
San Francisco97 .563  2212  .647
Pepperdine88 .500  1616  .500
Santa Clara610 .375  2013  .606
Loyola Marymount412 .250  1121  .344
San Diego214 .125  923  .281
Portland115 .063  923  .281
2020 WCC Tournament winner
As of January 29, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Gaels finished the 2018–19 season 22–12, 11–5 in West Coast Conference play to finish in second place. As the No. 2 seed in the WCC Tournament, they defeated Pepperdine in the semifinals and upset No. 1 seed Gonzaga to become champions of the WCC Tournament. As a result, they received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 where they lost to Villanova in the first round.[1]

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Jordan Hunter1C6'10"230SeniorVaucluse, AustraliaGraduated
Kyle Clark33F6'7"220RS JuniorWynyard, AustraliaInjured. Recovering from right knee surgery. 5th year senior. Studying MBA.
Alex Mudronja35G6'5"195FreshmanAdelaide, AustraliaPlay professionally

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious school
Logan Johnson1G6'2"175SophomoreMountain View, CATransferred from Cincinnati. Johnson was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.

2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Alex Ducas
SF
Geraldton, AUS Centre of Excellence 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Kyle Bowen
PF
Perth, AUS Centre of Excellence 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: nr   Rivals: nr  ESPN: nr
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "ESPN". ESPN.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

    2020 recruiting class

    Roster

    2019–20 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 00 Tanner Krebs 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS SrLake Ginninderra College Hobart, Australia
    G 1 Logan Johnson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoSaint Francis
    Cincinnati
    Mountain View, California
    G 2 Quinn Clinton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoChristchurch Boys Christchurch, New Zealand
    G 3 Jordan Ford 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg) SrFolsom Folsom, CA
    C 5 Jock Perry 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)250 lb (113 kg) RS JrLake Ginninderra College Melbourne, Australia
    F 10 Elijah Thomas 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS JrSunrise Mountain Peoria, AZ
    F/C 11 Matthias Tass 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)240 lb (109 kg) SoTallinna Reaalkool Tallinn, Estonia
    G 12 Tommy Kuhse (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS JrMountain View Mesa, AZ
    F 14 Kyle Bowen 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrCentre of Excellence Perth, WA, Australia
    F 15 Dan Sheets (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS SrDougherty Valley San Ramon, CA
    G 23 Kristers Zoriks 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS SoNew Hampton School Dobele, Latvia
    F 24 Malik Fitts 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS JrBrewster Academy
    South Florida
    Rancho Cucamonga, CA
    C 41 Aaron Menzies 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)265 lb (120 kg) RS SrLoreto Academy
    Seattle
    Manchester, England
    F 42 Dan Fotu 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoNew Zealand Auckland, New Zealand
    G/F 44 Alex Ducas 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrCentre of Excellence Geraldton, WA, Australia
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Non-conference regular season
    November 5, 2019*
    6:00 pm, ESPNU
    No. 20 vs. Wisconsin
    Sioux Falls Showcase
    W 65–63 OT 1–0
    Sanford Pentagon (3,301)
    Sioux Falls, SD
    November 11, 2019*
    6:00 pm
    No. 18 Winthrop
    Sacramento Classic
    L 59–61  1–1
    University Credit Union Pavilion (2,895)
    Moraga, CA
    November 14, 2019*
    7:00 pm
    No. 18 Long Beach State W 81–63  2–1
    University Credit Union Pavilion (2,715)
    Moraga, CA
    November 17, 2019*
    5:00 pm
    No. 18 Cal Poly W 79–48  3–1
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,306)
    Moraga, CA
    November 20, 2019*
    8:00 pm, ESPNU
    vs. Fresno State
    Sacramento Classic
    W 68–58  4–1
    Golden 1 Center (4,774)
    Sacramento, CA
    November 23, 2019*
    5:00 pm
    Lehigh
    Sacramento Classic
    W 77–66  5–1
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,059)
    Moraga, CA
    November 24, 2019*
    7:00 pm
    Sonoma State W 107–56  6–1
    University Credit Union Pavilion (2,742)
    Moraga, CA
    November 29, 2019*
    8:30 pm, ESPNU
    No. 15 Utah State W 81–73  7–1
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
    Moraga, CA
    December 1, 2019*
    5:00 pm
    Omaha W 75–66  8–1
    University Credit Union Pavilion (2,766)
    Moraga, CA
    December 5, 2019*
    7:00 pm
    Northern Illinois W 61–49  9–1
    University Credit Union Pavilion (2,816)
    Moraga, CA
    December 8, 2019*
    1:00 pm, ESPNU
    vs. No. 19 Dayton
    Jerry Colangelo Classic
    L 68–78  9–2
    Talking Stick Resort Arena (3,563)
    Phoenix, AZ
    December 14, 2019*
    7:30 pm, P12N
    at California W 89–77  10–2
    Haas Pavilion (5,734)
    Berkeley, CA
    December 18, 2019*
    6:00 pm, P12N
    vs. Arizona State
    Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase
    W 96–56  11–2
    Talking Stick Resort Arena (6,892)
    Phoenix, AZ
    December 21, 2019*
    9:30 pm, ESPNU
    vs. Nevada
    Al Attles Classic
    W 68–63  12–2
    Chase Center (6,728)
    San Francisco, CA
    December 28, 2019*
    5:00 pm
    Seattle W 84–58  13–2
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
    Moraga, CA
    WCC regular season
    January 2, 2020
    8:00 pm, ESPNU
    at San Francisco W 69–58  14–2
    (1–0)
    War Memorial Gymnasium (3,006)
    San Francisco, CA
    January 4, 2020
    7:00 pm, Stadium
    at Pacific L 99–107 4OT 14–3
    (1–1)
    Alex G. Spanos Center (2,577)
    Stockton, CA
    January 9, 2020
    8:00 pm, ESPN2
    BYU W 87–84 OT 15–3
    (2–1)
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
    Moraga, CA
    January 11, 2020
    5:00 pm, ESPNU
    Santa Clara L 66–67  15–4
    (2–2)
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
    Moraga, CA
    January 18, 2020
    1:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Pepperdine W 78–69  16–4
    (3–2)
    Firestone Fieldhouse (1,219)
    Malibu, CA
    January 23, 2020
    7:30 pm, CBSSN
    San Francisco W 58–48  17–4
    (4–2)
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,422)
    Moraga, CA
    January 25, 2020
    6:00 pm, Stadium
    at Loyola Marymount W 73–62  18–4
    (5–2)
    Gersten Pavilion (1,437)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 30, 2020
    7:00 pm, Stadium
    Portland W 86–64  19–4
    (6–2)
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,009)
    Moraga, CA
    February 1, 2020
    7:00 pm, ESPN2
    at BYU L 79–81  19–5
    (6–3)
    Marriott Center (15,212)
    Provo, UT
    February 6, 2020
    8:00 pm, ESPNU
    at San Diego W 66–60  20–5
    (7–3)
    Jenny Craig Pavilion (1,713)
    San Diego, CA
    February 8, 2020
    7:00 pm, ESPN
    No. 2 Gonzaga
    Rivalry
    L 60–90  20–6
    (7–4)
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
    Moraga, CA
    February 15, 2020
    5:00 pm, Stadium
    Pacific W 71–63  21–6
    (8–4)
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
    Moraga, CA
    February 20, 2020
    8:00 pm, CBSSN
    Loyola Marymount W 57–51  22–6
    (9–4)
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
    Moraga, CA
    February 22, 2020
    5:00 pm, Stadium
    San Diego W 92–63  23–6
    (10–4)
    University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
    Moraga, CA
    February 27, 2020
    7:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Santa Clara W 78–72  24–6
    (11–4)
    Leavey Center (2,512)
    Santa Clara, CA
    February 29, 2020
    7:00 pm, ESPN2
    at No. 3 Gonzaga
    Rivalry
    L 76–86  24–7
    (11–5)
    McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
    Spokane, WA
    WCC Tournament
    March 7, 2020
    9:00 pm, ESPN2
    (3) vs. (6) Pepperdine
    Third round
    W 89–82  25–7
    Orleans Arena (4,350)
    Paradise, NV
    March 9, 2020
    8:30 pm, ESPN2
    (3) vs. (2) No. 14 BYU
    Semifinals
    W 51–50  26–7
    Orleans Arena (7,471)
    Paradise, NV
    March 9, 2020
    6:00 pm, ESPN
    (3) vs. (1) No. 2 Gonzaga
    Championship
    L 66–84  26–8
    Orleans Arena (7,471)
    Paradise, NV
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Pacific Time.

    Source[2]

    Rankings

    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
    Week
    Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Final 
    AP* 20 18 RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV NR RV NR NR RV NR RV RV RV 
    Coaches 20 20 RV RV RV RV RV RV RV NR RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV

    *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

    References

    1. Sports, Athlon; 9/23/19; Edt, 12:56 Pm. "Saint Mary's Basketball: Gaels Team Preview and Season Prediction 2019-20". AthlonSports.com. Retrieved 2019-11-08.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    2. "SMCGaels.com :: Saint Mary's College Official Athletic Site :: Men's Basketball". www.smcgaels.com.
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