It’s hard to believe that this is the final chapter in one of the most heated and storied rivalries in all of college basketball. But tonight’s the night the Zags take on the rival Saint Mary’s Gaels during WCC conference play. For the final time, probably ever. Gonzaga leads the season series 1-0 and enters the night ranked No. 9 in the country, but the metrics and the past could not matter less in this one. This will be the final regular-season meeting between these programs as West Coast Conference rivals, and the final time the rivalry is staged in either Moraga or Spokane before Gonzaga departs for the Pac-12. No amount of consultation with KenPom, Evan Miya, Bart Torvik, Sean Farnham, or the ghost of Nostradamus himself carries any sway as a reliable predictor for how this one will shake out.
This one comes down to guts, poise, and execution.
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The Zags lead the series 52-17 all time, but since 2022, the split between these two teams sits at 7-6, favoring Gonzaga. The Gaels have spent this season stuck just outside the top 25, but, again, ranking and pedigree just don’t matter in this one.
There have been games with more on the line in terms of tournament seeding and conference dominance, but Saturday night stands on its own as the last dance in a defining conference rivalry. The conditions, the crowd, and the familiarity between these two teams ensure a game shaped less by what’s happened this season than by the accumulated weight of two decades of shared history.
Meet the Gaels (Again)
Randy Bennett commits fully to a single strategic identity, and the problem for Gonzaga has long been that this identity feels almost lab-engineered to stifle the Bulldogs. It’s Bennettball. The Gaels slow games to a crawl, drain the shot clock, and hunt selectively for efficient looks; if they can’t get a great look at the basket, they settle for a good look from three. Misses turn into extended possessions through relentless work on the offensive glass, and the cycle repeats until opponents are forced to operate entirely on Saint Mary’s terms.
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It’s an exceptional strategy. Saint Mary’s sits at No. 22 in the current NET Rankings and has hovered just outside the AP Top 25 for much of the season. According to KenPom, the Gaels rank 24th overall in adjusted efficiency, nestled among BYU, Iowa, and Saint John’s. They also boast the nation’s 46th-most efficient offense paired with the 20th-ranked defense, all while playing at the 281st-adjusted tempo out of 361 Division I teams.
The stylistic contrast with Gonzaga says it all. Gonzaga operates roughly 200 spots faster in tempo, backed by a KenPom profile that features the 22nd-ranked offense and the 12th-ranked defense. Watching the two styles collide is either thrilling, exhausting, maddening, or life affirming, depending on who you ask. But it’s rarely boring, regardless.
Saint Mary’s enters Saturday at 26-4 overall with just two conference losses, one coming against Gonzaga and the other against the Santa Clara Broncos in January. That Santa Clara result was erased earlier this week with an emphatic 86-67 home win for the Gaels, setting the stage for another chance at vengeance against Gonzaga. For Saint Mary’s, the faces change, but the blueprint stays intact: control the clock, dominate the glass, convert from deep, and defend without fouling. It hasn’t changed yet, and it isn’t going to on Saturday.
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Key Players
It’s all about balance for Saint Mary’s. The Gaels are averaging nearly 16 assists per game, yet only point guard Joshua Dent provides more than 2.2 assists each game. It’s an offense designed to draw defenders deep into possessions and punish overcommitment from any angle on the floor.
That structure allows Lithuanian junior forward Paulius Murauskas to operate as a steady scoring threat from anyway rather than a ball-dominant focal point. Murauskas averages just under 19 points and 7.7 rebounds in 32 minutes per game and has dipped into single digit scoring just once all season. At 6’8, he scores comfortably from anywhere and everywhere and is just one rebound shy of a double-double in each of his last four games, including a 32-point, 15-rebound outing against Pacific on Feb. 15.
Inside, Saint Mary’s cycles through two devastating options in the low post. 7’1 senior Harry Wessels starts for the Gaels and splits time in the lane with Andrew McKeever, a 7’2, 285-pound backup who controls the glass to the tune of 9.2 rebounds per game. The rotation ensures a constant paint occupant (a huge one, at that), a reality Gonzaga must navigate without Braden Huff and with and with a hobbled Jalen Warley still working through injury of his own.
Perimeter creation comes from sophomore Mikey Lewis, who has started every game this season and found a higher gear over the past two weeks. The sophomore has averaged just under 20 points across his last three games and delivered 21 points, seven assists, and four steals against a very good Santa Clara Broncos team earlier this week. When possessions stall late in the clock, Lewis is the guy who can create offense without disrupting the Gaels’ structure, a trait that will test Gonzaga’s discipline in protecting the perimeter even when they’re able to execute defensively inside.
Keys to the Game
1) Start fast and dictate tempo
Saint Mary’s will attempt to slow the game immediately. It’s just what they do. That pace defines the Gaels, but it also limits their ability to recover when they fall behind. Playing from a deficit forces them outside their comfort zone, because they’re not built to score quickly and reclaim a lead.
For the Zags, defensive rebounds must turn into transition chances, with Braeden Smith and Mario Saint-Supery pushing the ball and finding runners up the floor. Relying solely on Graham Ike to put up points in the half court against Wessels or McKeever plays into Saint Mary’s hands. Establishing tempo early gives Gonzaga its best chance to control the shape of the game.
2) Eliminate second chances
As always, the Gaels rank among the nation’s best in offensive rebounding this season. Misses turn into resets, and resets turn into long possessions that steadily shift control in their favor.
The damage starts inside with Andrew McKeever, who averages 3.6 offensive rebounds per game, but the real problem comes from the wings. Paulius Murauskas consistently crashes in from the perimeter to secure loose balls and kick the offense back out to point guard Joshua Dent, allowing Saint Mary’s to reset and restart all over again on the same possession. Given enough freedom on the glass, the Gaels can stretch a single trip into a two-minute sequence.
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For Gonzaga, rebounding must extend beyond the frontcourt. With Warley limited, perimeter containment falls to Tyon Grant Foster, Emmanuel Innocenti, and Davis Fogle to locate shooters and box out hard when shots go up. The Gaels are physical, and the Zags aren’t going to get many whistles to go their way down in Moraga. The wings need to prepare for an absolute dog fight on the glass or the Zags will end up chasing the Gaels defensively and unable to regain control of the game’s tempo.
3) Value every possession
Turnovers carry an outsized cost against Saint Mary’s. The Gaels’ whole strategy relies on limiting possessions for the opponent and making good looks hard to come by. Gonzaga’s season average of 9.6 turnovers per game becomes far harder to sustain in a matchup shaped by long defensive stretches and limited scoring opportunities on the other end.
The responsibility of taking care of the ball falls to the guards. Mario Saint-Supery carries a 2.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio this season, while Braeden Smith sits at 3.3-to-1 and brings a steadier hand in the execution of Gonzaga’s half-court offense. Smith’s recent 15-point performance against the Portland Pilots is exactly the kind of steadiness and efficiency Gonzaga needs to maintain, and his veteran status may give Mark Few reason to put the keys in his hands for this one.
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Saint Mary’s defense punishes impatience and guards looking to be opportunistic on dribble-drive penetration. Clean possessions and quick, decisive offense prevent the Gaels from dictating tempo and shrinking the game.
4) Tune out the noise
During Saint Mary’s win over Santa Clara Bronco earlier this week, chants of “F*** Gonzaga” echoed out from the student section before the game had even reached its closing minutes. The Gaels are so ready for this one that their fans couldn’t even take a moment to enjoy their biggest win of the season before shifting their attention towards Saturday. The Gaels are coming off a huge win that could not position them better mentally to handle the Zags at home, and the Zags need to prepare themselves to meet that version of the Gaels when they face off.
The noise and energy will be electric inside McKeon Pavilion. Visiting fans will be scarce, momentum plays will draw explosive reactions, and Saint Mary’s will feed off every made shot, offensive rebound, big dunk, and favorable whistle. The Gaels will get theirs, and the environment will amplify every little thing that goes their way.
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For Gonzaga, composure has to stay intact throughout. Veterans matter here, which keeps Adam Miller central for the Zags even if he’s not putting up points. His steadiness and decision-making help anchor lineups and settle possessions when shot selection and defensive discipline break down. In a game so full of noise and emotion, Gonzaga’s edge needs to come from staying locked into execution and refusing to engage with anything beyond the floor.
Final Thoughts
Maybe these teams will meet again in Las Vegas for the WCC Tournament. Maybe they cross paths down the line under different circumstances. But none of that matters in this one. This is for certain the last time Gonzaga walks into Moraga as a conference rival, and this game carries the weight of two decades of shared history; the last time Saint Mary’s gets a crack at Gonzaga in its own house, for all the marbles.
And the deck is not stacked in Gonzaga’s favor in terms of content or environment. Saint Mary’s are coming off their biggest and most emphatic win of the season. It’s also Senior Night in Moraga, meaning some of these guys will be playing in front of friends and family for the final time in their basketball careers. The crowd will be fully primed long before tip, and the message has already been made clear about who this night is for. The setting, the emotion, and the stakes all tilt in the same direction.
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For the Zags, the picture is even less sunny. Braden Huff remains out. Jalen Warley has been gutting through a thigh injury severe enough that Mark Few has openly acknowledged that he’s at about 50% full strength this week. The rotation has tightened. The margin is as thin as it’s been all season. This will be a game where physical and emotional pressure stack possession by possession.
That is exactly what Saint Mary’s wants. They want this slow, heavy, grinding fight where every stop, every shot, every whistle, and every turnover feels massively consequential. They want Gonzaga thinking about anything besides the next defensive stop or the next scoring opportunity. They want the game to carry history on its back and they want to celebrate a win over the Bulldogs on their home floor, one last time.
The only answer for the Zags is execution. It’s the only answer there’s ever been against Saint Mary’s. Finish defensive possessions. Push after stops. Build separation before the game settles. Stay disciplined when the crowd surges and the calls swing. Gonzaga has beaten this program the same way for years because no other way exists. Saturday strips everything down to that truth. If the Zags execute, the noise fades. If they don’t, Moraga takes its final swing.
