The 2017–18 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represented
Saint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate ...
during the
2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2017. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic and the season ended with the Final Four in San Antonio on April 2, 2018. Practices officially began on September 29 ...
. The team was led by head coach
Randy Bennett
Randall William Bennett (born June 9, 1962) is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Saint Mary's College of California. He led the team to several second-place finishes and seven NCAA tournament ap ...
in his 17th season at Saint Mary's. The Gaels played their home games at the
McKeon Pavilion
University Credit Union Pavilion (formerly McKeon Pavilion) is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose arena at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California. Home men's and women's basketball and volleyball games are held in the gymnasium, the te ...
in
Moraga, California
Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 people. Moraga is ...
as members of the
West Coast Conference. They finished the season 30–6, 16–2 in West Coast Conference play to finish in second place. As the No. 2 seed in the
WCC tournament, they defeated
Pepperdine
Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and ...
in the quarterfinals before losing to
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
in the semifinals. They were one of the last four teams not selected for the
NCAA tournament and as a result earned a No. 1 seed in the
National Invitation Tournament where they defeated
Southeastern Louisiana in the first round and
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
in the second round before losing to
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
in the quarterfinals.
Previous season
The
Gaels
The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic langu ...
finished the
2016–17 season 29–5, 16–2 in
WCC play to finish in second place. In the
WCC tournament, they defeated
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
and
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
before losing to
Gonzaga in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament. As the No. 7 seed in the West region, they beat
VCU in the first round before losing to No. 2-seeded
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
in the second round.
Offseason
Departures
Incoming transfers
2017 recruiting class
Roster
Schedule and results
, -
!colspan=9 style=, Exhibition
, -
!colspan=9 style=, Non-conference regular season
, -
!colspan=9 style=,
WCC regular season
, -
!colspan=9 style=,
WCC tournament
, -
!colspan=9 style=,
NIT
Source
Rankings
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team
Saint Mary's
Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball seasons
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