This rivalry stands among the best in college basketball, with two programs that have clashed in high-stakes matchups for years. No two teams in the country contrast more in style and strategy than Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga, and no two have dominated their conference’s top spots as thoroughly as the Gaels and the Zags.
The road to this championship has been anything but smooth for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have struggled in close games and lacked the consistency to shake the “overhyped and underperforming” label that followed their drop from the AP Top 25 in January.
Saint Mary’s has had no such issues. The Gaels have lost just one conference game—by a single point—and look as sharp as any team that coach Randy Bennett has put together in recent memory. Outside of that narrow loss and some early-season turbulence, they have controlled their fate from start to finish.
Saint Mary’s enters this matchup with two wins over Gonzaga this season. The first came in Moraga by four points. The second, on Senior Night in the Kennel, ended with a seven-point victory. Both games were tight, but plenty happened outside the box score to leave fans frustrated, confused, and, in many cases, furious.
The most recent meeting between these two was among the most disheartening losses Gonzaga has suffered in years. A disastrous opening stretch, fueled by questionable lineup choices, led to an 11-0 deficit, and the Zags never recovered. Saint Mary’s dictated the tempo from start to finish, bleeding clock on one end while forcing Gonzaga into difficult shots with suffocating man defense. There was no dramatic, last-second collapse—just a slow, excruciating defeat at the hands of a team that imposed its will from start to finish. It was Bennett ball at its purest form.
Previously…
Saint Mary’s enters the championship game after dismantling Pepperdine in the semifinals. The Waves had been on a Cinderella run through the tournament but ran out of magic against the Gaels. The final score was 74-59, but the game was never close. Saint Mary’s led by as many as 28, out-rebounded Pepperdine 45-22, and outscored them in the paint 46-26. The Gaels’ methodical, physical, soul-draining style forced Pepperdine back into bad habits, exposing the flaws that led to their 4-14 conference record.
Gonzaga, meanwhile, continues to build momentum as March Madness approaches. Their NCAA Tournament spot is secured, but their final order of business remains unchanged: beat Saint Mary’s. This game is for the West Coast Conference Tournament title. More than anything, it’s for retribution.
Last year’s championship game remains a sore subject for Gonzaga fans. Calling it a “win” for the Gaels is generous. Aidan Mahaney led Saint Mary’s with 23 points, while Anton Watson chipped in 18 for the Zags. For 37.5 minutes, the game was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading blows and searching for an edge. Then, Gonzaga self-destructed. A flurry of unforced errors—bad shot selection, blown layups, reckless fouls, and careless turnovers—gifted Saint Mary’s the win. The collapse still lingers.
How to Beat the Gaels
The blueprint for beating Saint Mary’s has never changed. Gonzaga must control the tempo and dominate the glass to limit second-chance opportunities.
Control the tempo – Saint Mary’s is not an especially athletic team, and this year’s rotation is even shorter than usual. Bennett runs a 7-man rotation, with his core five logging 30+ minutes per game. The Zags can exploit this by pushing the pace, crashing the boards, and forcing the Gaels to keep up with a high-energy attack.
Saint Mary’s thrives when opponents allow them to dictate the rhythm. If you let them drain the shot clock on every possession, surrender offensive rebounds, and lose track of Mikey Lewis from deep, they will suffocate the life out of the game.
Do what we do – It’ll be up to Gonzaga’s veteran playmakers to put Saint Mary’s on their heels. Nolan Hickman needs to be looking for his shot, Graham Ike and Ben Gregg need to be assertive on the boards. Ryan Nembhard needs to handle defensive pressure, push the pace, and distribute like he always does. Khalif Battle needs to apply foul pressure, get to the free throw line, and be the absolute bucket-getter he was brought to Spokane to be.
(Bonus): Send them to the line – Finally, It’s not my job to dictate strategy, obviously, and this final one certainly carries significant risk, but Saint Mary’s has not been an especially strong free-throw shooting team this season, averaging just 69.3% from the line. Mitchell Saxen, who plays roughly 30 minutes per game, shoots only 51.2% and takes fewer than 4 free throws per game.
Saint Mary’s entire approach revolves around bleeding the clock in pursuit of high-percentage shots close to the basket. Saxen, oddly enough, is a higher percentage scorer from the field than from the line and looks visibly uncomfortable at the charity stripe. Fouling Saint Mary’s bigs early in the shot clock and forcing them to the line would disrupt the flow of Saint Mary’s offense, put pressure on their weakest free throw shooters, and get the ball moving in the opposite direction ASAP, before the Gaels even have a chance to waste time.
With a deep bench and three capable centers on the roster, the Zags have plenty of fouls to work with, and given how WCC officiating has played out recently, both teams will likely end up in the double bonus each half anyway. Letting Saint Mary’s dribble and pass the ball aimlessly around the perimeter for 20+ seconds every possession instead of forcing them to convert from the line only allows them more opportunity to dictate the game’s pace and keep things where they like them: mind-numbingly slow and maximally un-fun to watch.
It’s a long shot, but I for one would love to see coach Mark Few throw something new at Bennett after 24 years of rivalry matchups.
In conclusion…
Following the maxim that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all, I don’t think I should try and muster much more to say on Saint Mary’s. Any further discourse on Bennett and the Gaels is instead probably best left to those in the comments section who know and understand just how much a rivalry game like this means beyond the Win/Loss column. I will say, however, that Saint Mary’s excels at what they do, especially this year. The team is disciplined, poised, skilled, and very Lithuanian. That much is undeniable. However, if Gonzaga plays to its strengths—controlling the tempo, limiting second-chance scoring opportunities, and keeping Saint Mary’s from settling into their defense in the half court—it will be a blowout win for the Bulldogs.
