# 2023–24 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represented Saint Mary's College of California during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Randy Bennett in his 23rd 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 (WCC). They finished the season 26–8, 15–1 in WCC play to win the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the WCC tournament, they defeated Santa Clara in the semifinals and beat Gonzaga in the championship to win the WCC tournament. Therefore, they received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where as the No. 5 seed in the West region, they were upset in the first round by Grand Canyon.

## Previous season

The Gaels finished the 2022–23 season 27–8, 14–2 in WCC play, to win the WCC regular season championship with Gonzaga. In the WCC tournament, they defeated BYU in the semifinals before losing to Gonzaga in the championship. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the West region. There they defeated VCU in the first round before losing to national champion UConn in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Logan Johnson | 0 | G | 6'2" | 177 | GS Senior | Mountain View, CA | Graduated |
| Kyle Bowen | 14 | F | 6'8" | 222 | Senior | Perth, Australia | Graduated |
| Matt Van Komen | 22 | C | 7'4" | 250 | RS Junior | Pleasant Grove, UT | Transferred to Hawaii Pacific |
| Leemet Böckler | 23 | G | 6'7" | 215 | Junior | Tallinn, Estonia | Signed to play professionally |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jordan Ross #21 PG | Pleasant Grove, UT | AZ Compass Prep | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 18, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Andrew McKeever C | Livermore, CA | Granada High School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Mar 11, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: 0 ||||||
| Jensen Bradtke PF | Sandringham, Australia | NBA Global Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | N/A | Nov 9, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: 0 ||||||
| 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. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Zion Sensley #8 PF | San Francisco, CA | Archbishop Riordan High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Aug 24, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 |||||||
| 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. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 20, 2023* 10:00 p.m., − | No. 23 | at Hawaii Charity Exhibition for Maui Wildfire Relief | W 92–58 | − | 25 – Mahaney | 8 – Barrett | 6 – Marčiulionis | Stan Sheriff Center (4,902) Honolulu, HI |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 23 | Stanislaus State | W 107–28 | 1–0 | 19 – Forbes | 8 – tied | 5 – Mahaney | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,318) Moraga, CA |
| November 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 23 | New Mexico | W 72–58 | 2–0 | 25 – Mahaney | 7 – Saxen | 5 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| November 12, 2023* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 23 | Weber State | L 57–61 | 2–1 | 11 – tied | 8 – Jefferson | 3 – tied | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,389) Moraga, CA |
| November 17, 2023* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. San Diego State Continental Tire Main Event semifinals | L 54–79 | 2–2 | 16 – Saxen | 8 – Saxen | 4 – Jefferson | T-Mobile Arena (−) Paradise, NV |
| November 19, 2023* 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Xavier Continental Tire Main Event consolation | L 49–66 | 2–3 | 14 – Marčiulionis | 14 – Saxen | 3 – Marčiulionis | T-Mobile Arena (−) Paradise, NV |
| November 24, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Davidson | W 89–55 | 3–3 | 23 – Ducas | 11 – Saxen | 5 – tied | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,411) Moraga, CA |
| November 27, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Utah | L 71–78 | 3–4 | 22 – Mahaney | 10 – Saxen | 5 – Mahaney | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| December 1, 2023* 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | vs. Boise State | L 60–63 | 3–5 | 19 – Mahaney | 8 – Saxen | 4 – Marčiulionis | Mountain America Center (4,985) Idaho Falls, ID |
| December 5, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Cleveland State | W 70–57 | 4–5 | 20 – Saxen | 8 – tied | 5 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (2,964) Moraga, CA |
| December 9, 2023* 3:30 p.m., CBSSN | | at No. 13 Colorado State | W 64–61 | 5–5 | 18 – Marčiulionis | 13 – Jefferson | 3 – tied | Moby Arena (8,083) Fort Collins, CO |
| December 16, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. UNLV Jerry Colangelo Classic | W 69–67 $^{2OT}$ | 6–5 | 23 – Saxen | 16 – Saxen | 3 – tied | Footprint Center (−) Phoenix, AZ |
| December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Middle Tennessee | W 71–34 | 7–5 | 20 – Wessels | 7 – Jefferson | 3 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (2,931) Moraga, CA |
| December 21, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Northern Kentucky | W 92–56 | 8–5 | 18 – Marčiulionis | 13 – Saxen | 8 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (2,877) Moraga, CA |
| December 23, 2023* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Missouri State | L 64–69 | 8–6 | 17 – Marčiulionis | 10 – Saxen | 5 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,412) Moraga, CA |
| December 29, 2023* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Kent State | W 66–46 | 9–6 | 19 – Barrett | 12 – Ducas | 7 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,380) Moraga, CA |
| WCC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at San Diego | W 81–70 | 10–6 (1–0) | 25 – Mahaney | 7 – Barrett | 10 – Marčiulionis | Jenny Craig Pavilion (1,159) San Diego, CA |
| January 6, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Loyola Marymount | W 68–64 | 11–6 (2–0) | 22 – Marčiulionis | 9 – Jefferson | 4 – Ducas | Gersten Pavilion (1,566) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 11, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Portland | W 95–52 | 12–6 (3–0) | 25 – Mahaney | 9 – Ducas | 8 – Jefferson | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,373) Moraga, CA |
| January 13, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Santa Clara | W 73–49 | 13–6 (4–0) | 18 – Mahaney | 8 – Wessels | 10 – Marčiulionis | Leavey Center (4,200) Santa Clara, CA |
| January 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at San Francisco | W 77–60 | 14–6 (5–0) | 22 – Mahaney | 10 – Jefferson | 7 – Marčiulionis | War Memorial Gymnasium (3,432) San Francisco, CA |
| January 25, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Pacific | W 76–28 | 15–6 (6–0) | 11 – tied | 9 – Saxen | 4 – Ducas | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,286) Moraga, CA |
| January 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Loyola Marymount | W 70–65 | 16–6 (7–0) | 25 – Marčiulionis | 6 – tied | 7 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| January 31, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Santa Clara | W 82–77 | 17–6 (8–0) | 20 – Marčiulionis | 6 – tied | 6 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,411) Moraga, CA |
| February 3, 2024 7:30 p.m., ESPN | | at Gonzaga Rivalry | W 64–62 | 18–6 (9–0) | 20 – Mahaney | 11 – Jefferson | 4 – tied | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| February 6, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Pacific | W 84–43 | 19–6 (10–0) | 18 – Ducas | 6 – tied | 5 – Marčiulionis | Alex G. Spanos Center (1,911) Stockton, CA |
| February 10, 2024 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Portland | W 76–51 | 20–6 (11–0) | 19 – Mahaney | 7 – Mahaney | 8 – Marčiulionis | Chiles Center (2,158) Portland, OR |
| February 15, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 18 | Pepperdine | W 103–59 | 21–6 (12–0) | 28 – Marčiulionis | 7 – tied | 6 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| February 20, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 18 | San Francisco | W 70–66 | 22–6 (13–0) | 20 – Saxen | 13 – Saxen | 4 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| February 24, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 18 | San Diego | W 88–62 | 23–6 (14–0) | 20 – Saxen | 12 – Ducas | 10 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| February 29, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 17 | at Pepperdine | W 83–57 | 24–6 (15–0) | 17 – Marčiulionis | 10 – Ducas | 11 – Marčiulionis | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,057) Malibu, CA |
| March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 17 | No. 23 Gonzaga Rivalry | L 57–70 | 24–7 (15–1) | 16 – Mahaney | 7 – Ducas | 5 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| WCC tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 21 | vs. (4) Santa Clara Semifinals | W 79–65 | 25–7 | 21 – Ducas | 8 – tied | 6 – Marčiulionis | Orleans Arena (4,885) Paradise, NV |
| March 12, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 21 | vs. (2) No. 17 Gonzaga Championship | W 69–60 | 26–7 | 23 – Mahaney | 15 – Saxen | 8 – Marčiulionis | Orleans Arena (5,794) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2024 7:05 p.m., TruTV | (5 W) No. 15 | vs. (12 W) Grand Canyon First round | L 66–75 | 26–8 | 14 – Saxen | 11 – Saxen | 8 – Marčiulionis | Spokane Arena (11,616) Spokane, WA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 23 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 18 | 17 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 21 |
| Coaches | 23 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 19 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 22 |