# 2024–25 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represents Saint Mary's College of California during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by head coach Randy Bennett in his 24th season at Saint Mary's. The Gaels play their home games at the University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California, as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC).

## Previous season

The Gaels finished the 2023–24 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.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Joshua Jefferson | 5 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Sophomore | Las Vegas, NV | Transferred to Iowa State |
| Chris Howell | 15 | G | 6'6" | 195 | Sophomore | San Diego, CA | Transferred to UC San Diego |
| Aidan Mahaney | 20 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Sophomore | Lafayette, CA | Transferred to UConn |
| Mason Forbes | 25 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Senior | Folsom, CA | Graduated |
| Alex Ducas | 44 | G/F | 6'7" | 220 | GS Senior | Geraldton, Australia | Graduated/undrafted in 2024 NBA draft; signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Jensen Bradtke | 50 | F | 6'10" | 220 | Freshman | Sandringham, Australia | Transferred to Montana |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Ashton Hardaway | 9 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Sophomore | Carson, CA | Memphis |
| Paulius Murauskas | 23 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Sophomore | Kaunas, Lithuania | Arizona |

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Liam Campbell #19 SG | Meridian, ID | Owyhee High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | May 10, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Mikey Lewis #23 SG | Oakland, CA | Prolific Prep | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 27, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Joshua Dent SG | New South Wales, Australia | Centre of Excellence | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Nov 8, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Oliver Faubert PF | Fort Erie, ON | Fort Erie International Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 6, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| 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 |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Towson | W 76–69 | 1–0 | 14 – Tied | 13 – Murauskas | 8 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,326) Moraga, CA |
| November 7, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Chattanooga | W 86–74 | 2–0 | 27 – Marčiulionis | 11 – Murauskas | 7 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,188) Moraga, CA |
| November 12, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Akron | W 87–68 | 3–0 | 18 – Lewis | 15 – Murauskas | 11 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,316) Moraga, CA |
| November 17, 2024* 10:00 a.m., BTN | | vs. Nebraska | W 77–74 | 4–0 | 23 – Lewis | 12 – Saxen | 4 – Marčiulionis | Sanford Pentagon (3,241) Sioux Falls, SD |
| November 20, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Stanislaus State | W 78–38 | 5–0 | 14 – Wessels | 11 – Murauskas | 7 – Bennett | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,148) Moraga, CA |
| November 23, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Cal Poly Acrisure Classic campus site game | W 80–66 | 6–0 | 19 – Barrett | 13 – Saxen | 8 – Ross | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| November 28, 2024* 6:00 p.m., TruTV | | vs. USC Acrisure Classic semifinals | W 71–36 | 7–0 | 15 – Ross | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Acrisure Arena (1,006) Thousand Palms, CA |
| November 29, 2024* 6:30 p.m., TruTV | | vs. Arizona State Acrisure Classic Championship Game | L 64–68 | 7–1 | 19 – Ross | 9 – Tied | 4 – Ross | Acrisure Arena (2,310) Thousand Palms, CA |
| December 3, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UTSA | W 82–74 $^{OT}$ | 8–1 | 23 – Marčiulionis | 13 – Saxen | 8 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,015) Moraga, CA |
| December 7, 2024* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Utah | W 72–63 | 9–1 | 29 – Murauskas | 8 – McKeever | 8 – Marčiulionis | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,435) Salt Lake City, UT |
| December 14, 2024* 6:00 p.m. | | vs. Boise State | L 65–67 $^{OT}$ | 9–2 | 17 – Marčiulionis | 8 – McKeever | 6 – Marčiulionis | Mountain America Center (3,443) Idaho Falls, ID |
| December 19, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Merrimack | W 73–68 | 10–2 | 18 – Tied | 12 – Saxen | 5 – Ross | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,255) Moraga, CA |
| December 22, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Utah State | L 68–75 | 10–3 | 18 – Saxen | 7 – Barrett | 8 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| WCC regular season |||||||||
| December 28, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Pacific | W 70–60 | 11–3 (1–0) | 20 – Barrett | 13 – Murauskas | 11 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| January 2, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Pepperdine | W 71–41 | 12–3 (2–0) | 16 – Barrett | 12 – Murauskas | 8 – Ross | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,391) Moraga, CA |
| January 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Portland | W 81–58 | 13–3 (3–0) | 20 – Marčiulionis | 10 – Saxen | 6 – Marčiulionis | Chiles Center (1,678) Portland, OR |
| January 7, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Loyola Marymount | W 81–56 | 14–3 (4–0) | 23 – Marčiulionis | 10 – Tied | 2 – Tied | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,344) Moraga, CA |
| January 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at San Diego | W 103–56 | 15–3 (5–0) | 18 – Lewis | 12 – Saxen | 5 – Tied | Jenny Craig Pavilion (1,349) San Diego, CA |
| January 18, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Pepperdine | W 74–50 | 16–3 (6–0) | 17 – Barrett | 7 – Barrett | 6 – Marčiulionis | Firestone Fieldhouse (632) Malibu, CA |
| January 23, 2025 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | San Francisco | W 71–51 | 17–3 (7–0) | 24 – Murauskas | 8 – Barrett | 6 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| January 25, 2025 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Washington State | W 80–75 | 18–3 (8–0) | 25 – Murauskas | 12 – Murauskas | 7 – Marčiulionis | Beasley Coliseum (4,240) Pullman, WA |
| January 29, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Santa Clara | W 67–54 | 19–3 (9–0) | 12 – Saxen | 14 – Murauskas | 5 – Marčiulionis | Leavey Center (3,208) Santa Clara, CA |
| February 1, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | Gonzaga Rivalry | W 62–58 | 20–3 (10–0) | 16 – Lewis | 11 – Saxen | 9 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| February 6, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at San Francisco | L 64–65 | 20–4 (10–1) | 20 – Marčiulionis | 11 – Saxen | 7 – Marčiulionis | Sobrato Center (3,200) San Francisco, CA |
| February 8, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Oregon State | W 63–49 | 21–4 (11–1) | 18 – Marčiulionis | 7 – Saxen | 10 – Marčiulionis | Gill Coliseum (5,256) Corvallis, OR |
| February 11, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Santa Clara | W 73–64 | 22–4 (12–1) | 24 – Marčiulionis | 8 – Saxen | 6 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| February 15, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Washington State | W 77–56 | 23–4 (13–1) | 30 – Murauskas | 10 – Murauskas | 7 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| February 19, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Portland | W 79–66 | 24–4 (14–1) | 20 – Murauskas | 11 – Murauskas | 9 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,392) Moraga, CA |
| February 22, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Gonzaga Rivalry | W 74–67 | 25–4 (15–1) | 18 – Lewis | 9 – Saxen | 6 – Marčiulionis | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| February 27, 2025 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 23 | at Loyola Marymount | W 58–55 | 26–4 (16–1) | 18 – Murauskas | 12 – Murauskas | 3 – Tied | Gersten Pavilion (1,609) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 1, 2025 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 23 | Oregon State | W 74–64 | 27–4 (17–1) | 25 – Marčiulionis | 11 – Saxen | 7 – Marčiulionis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| WCC tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 19 | vs. (9) Pepperdine Semifinals | W 74–59 | 28–4 | 15 – Tied | 10 – Murauskas | 5 – Marčiulionis | Orleans Arena (4,650) Paradise, NV |
| March 11, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 19 | vs. (2) Gonzaga Championship | L 51–58 | 28–5 | 20 – Saxen | 9 – Tied | 8 – Marčiulionis | Orleans Arena (6,237) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2025* 12:15 p.m., TruTV | (7 E) No. 20 | vs. (10 E) Vanderbilt First Round | | | | | | Rocket Arena Cleveland, OH |
| *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 | RV | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 21 | 19 | 20 | |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 23 | RV | 24 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 19 | |