Even though the Saint Mary's men's basketball team already knew it was in this year's NCAA Tournament, the nervous energy in McKeon Pavilion on Sunday was palpable as the Gaels waited through the first three brackets without hearing their names.
"We were all asking questions about what seed we'd get," forward Kenton Walker II said. "I even texted my dad to see what he thought, and even he was wrong."
That fourth bracket, the Midwest region, was where Saint Mary's finally found its home. The Gaels (27-5) were given a No. 7 seed by the selection committee. They'll head to Omaha, Neb. to take on No. 10 Purdue (21-12) in a second-round game Friday. The game time will be announced later Sunday night. The first round takes place Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio.
It is the second time in three years Saint Mary's has made the NCAA Tournament and the seventh in program history. The last time the Gaels were invited, they beat Richmond and Villanova to reach the Sweet 16.
One year after having its bubble burst by the selection committee, that sort of nervousness was absent this time around. That's because Saint Mary's took the decision out of the committee's hands by beating Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference title game last Monday in Las Vegas.
Even without that win, there wasn't much doubt the Gaels would be invited this time around. By going 14-2 in WCC play, Saint Mary's claimed its first outright WCC regular season title since
1989.
That snapped Gonzaga's 11-year streak atop the WCC standings. But even with the regular season title, it was the victory over the Bulldogs in the WCC tournament that made Sunday's gathering in Moraga a much more lighthearted affair than the previous year.
"It's a much better feeling when you know you're in. A better week, a better Sunday, the whole deal," Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said. "If we would've gotten called where we did and we didn't know we were in, we would've really been sweating bullets."
The Gaels had their share of good wins, beating Northern Iowa, Weber State and Missouri State in nonconference play. Those victories, combined with a sweep of BYU and a win over Gonzaga in conference play, had Saint Mary's ranked for most of the season.
They'll face another tough team in the Boilermakers. Forward Robbie Hummel is their go-to player, a fifth-year senior who has twice undergone surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He averaged 16.3 points this season.
"They play really tough half-court defense and play motion," Bennett said. "They're always good. They've been in the tournament a lot of times and have a great tradition in the program and are well coached."
Purdue has also weathered some adversity. Coach Matt Painter dismissed guard Kelsey Barlow from the team and suspended swingman D.J. Byrd on Feb. 17 for an incident at a bar. Byrd has since returned to action, earning Big 10 sixth man of the year honors.
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