THE SAINT Mary’s Gaels are on the verge of another postseason birth in the NCAA tournament after a near perfect regular season that will end on Tuesday against Pepperdine.

The Gaels have won 18 of their last 19 games, their only loss during that span coming by a single point to San Francisco in late January. They began the season 7-0, and were 10-3 before beginning their conference play, losing by just seven points, four points and a two-point overtime loss to Boise State. Following this superb start to the year, Saint Mary’s begun their conference schedule and started 10-0, before losing the San Francisco game and following it with another seven wins on the trot.

They enter March Madness seeking their fourth straight tournament birth with a total 24-4 record, and though they aren’t the most notable West Coast conference team, as a small school with their performance this year they might make more noise than Gonzaga. They are currently projected to be the ninth seed, which may leave them with a tough road ahead. 

Last season, they were eliminated by Grand Canyon, the 12th seed, which left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Gaels, but with a mostly returning roster and the addition of Paulius Murauskas there is no ceiling on this so called ‘Cinderella team’. 

The team is led by Lithuanian pair Murauskas and Augustas Marciulionis, who are the top two scorers for head coach Randy Bennet’s side. Saint Mary’s boasts some miraculous offensive ratings when the two play well together, but the Gaels have made a name for themselves on the defensive end of the floor this year.

However, this may be because the WCC was deemed quite weak this season. They have restricted opponents to shooting a lowly 31.8 per cent from beyond the arc in 2024-25, and they don’t allow many threes either. If these numbers stack up against some of the top colleges, the Gaels are every chance to advance further than most might think in March.

Saint Mary’s, with their long-standing Australian connections, roster three Aussies this season. One is freshman Rory Hawke, who is redshirting and has not played any minutes.

Josh Dent is also a freshman from Wollongong, and despite playing just 3.8 minutes per contest is showing promise. His best game came in a blowout win over San Diego, where he was able to play nine minutes and nailed two triples on his way to eight points, three steals and two assists.

He shot 60 per cent from the field in that game, and while it didn’t lead to extended minutes going forward, it holds him in good stead going into his sophomore season next year. March Madness is often not about how many minutes you play, but the impact you can have in few minutes, and Dent will be ready when his name is called.

The other Aussie on the roster is Junior Harry Wessels. In his three seasons at Saint Mary’s he has seen his minutes increase every year and is currently playing 12 minutes a game as the Gaels backup centre. The 216cm Western Australian product is averaging 5.1 points, grabbing 3.1 rebounds per game and blocking a shot per game as well.

His per-40 minutes stats are impressive, averages of 17 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks bode well if he is to get more opportunities through the postseason tournament or going into his senior campaign. The Boddington prospect will look to have a real impact for the Gaels as they look to earn their way deeper into March than they have ever been and chase the elusive first final four finish.