Get to Know Tide’s NCAA Tournament Opponent: Saint Mary’s

Cleveland, Ohio. - The Saint Mary's Gaels took down the Vanderbilt Commodores in the round of 64 to advance to the round of 32. Earlier on Friday, the Alabama Crimson Tide advanced to the round of 32 with a nail-biting victory over the Robert Morris Colonials.

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The Crimson Tide and the Gaels will face off in the round of 32, with the winner bound for Newark, New Jersey in the Sweet 16. What is there to know about Alabama's round of 32 opponent?

Saint Mary's is a member of the West Coast Conference, finishing the regular season 29-5 overall and 17-1 in conference play. Saint Mary's won the WCC regular season championship.

The Gaels made the championship game in the WCC men's conference tournament before falling to the Gonzaga Bulldogs 58-51 in the finals.

The leading scorer for Saint Mary's is Augustas Marciulionis, a 6-foot-4 senior guard from Lithuania. Marciulionis averages 14.3 points per game, shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three. He also leads the team with 6.1 assists and contributes three rebounds per game.

The other two scorers averaging double-digit points for Saint Mary's is 6-foot-8 Paulius Murauskas, averaging 12.5 points, eight rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game for the Gaels. He is shooting 46 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three-point range this season. Mitchell Saxen, a 6-foot-10 center, averages 10.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game on 54.2 percent shooting from the field.

As a team, Saint Mary's scores 73.5 points per game, averaging 61.6 possessions per game - ranked 360th in the country. The Gaels shoot 45.5 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three-point range.

According to Kenpom, Saint Mary's has the 59th-ranked offense in the country and the seventh-ranked defense while playing an opposing offensive schedule of 65th in the country and the 116th-ranked defensive schedule in the country.

In Saint Mary's most recent game - a 59-56 win over Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Jordan Ross (a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard) led the team in scoring with 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field and 2-4 from three.

Saint Mary's had three other players score in double digits, with Augustas Marciulionis scoring 14 points and Mitchell Saxen and Luke Barrett (a 6-foot-6 forward) scoring 12 points apiece. Saint Mary's held Vanderbilt to 1.000 points per possession in the victory. The Gaels only allowed 56 possessions to the Commodores on Friday.

Saint Mary's out-rebounded Vanderbilt 41-28, and dominated the offensive glass 10-5 in favor of the Gaels. They claimed 10 second-chance points compared to just nine turnovers in the victory.

The Sportsbook at Pearl River Resort sponsors our coverage of the NCAA tournament. Located at Golden Moon Hotel & Casino, it offers traditional sports betting, where guests can bet on all professional league sports and major collegiate sporting events.

Taco Casa also sponsors our coverage of the NCAA tournament. Under the biggest cactus in town, Taco Casa serves authentic, great-tasting food and award-winning sweet tea in Tuscaloosa. The quality, taste, and tradition that truly are Tuscaloosa. 

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.