St. Mary's (26-5)
COACH: Randy Bennett, ninth year at St. Mary's, third year in NCAA Tournament
HOW THEY GOT IN: Automatic bid (West Coast Conference)
MATCHUP BREAKDOWN: Richmond has played a much better schedule than St. Mary's and has more good wins, with victories over Missouri, Mississippi State, Old Dominion, Temple, Xavier and Florida. The patient, structured offense run by Richmond could pose problems for St. Mary's, which, despite the presence of 6-foot-11 Omar Samhan, does not play good interior defense. Samhan, who averaged 20.9 points a game, should score his share of points against 6-9, 255-pound Dan Geriot, but he will need a big game for the Gaels to win. Gaels point guard Mickey McConnell was outstanding in the West Coast Conference tournament win over Gonzaga, but he will have his hands full with Richmond point guard Kevin Anderson, who was the Atlantic 10 player of the year and averages 17.9 points. McConnell needs to hold his own. Richmond's Justin Harper and St. Mary's Ben Allen offer an interesting matchup of tall, versatile power forwards. The Gaels would like to make it a fast and loose game, so as to take advantage of its passing, ball-handling, good team play and Mattrew Dellavedova's open-court expertise, but if it is a grind-it-out game, the Gaels are in trouble.
GO-TO GUYS: C Omar Samhan led the West Coast Conference in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, and is the centerpiece of the offense. Although he is primarily a low-post player, Sam Han can score in a variety of ways and has shooting range out to 20 feet. He is also a willing and accurate passer. Mickey McConnell is the point guard and the team's No. 2 scorer, and he is adept at penetrating off the dribble and hitting 3-pointers. He is one of the best outside shooters in the country. Freshman G Matthew Dellavedova is also a two-dimensional player who can drive and hit the 3-pointer. Ben Allen is 6-11, but he is an accurate 3-point shooter as well and may cause matchup problems for that reason.
THEY'LL KEEP WINNING IF: The Gaels need to minimize their turnovers and hit a high percentage of their 3-pointers. Opponents will need to focus their defense on Samhan, who will hurt them repeatedly if they don't, and that should give the Gaels open looks from long range. Every starter needs to stay out of foul trouble, because this club is not deep. If the Gaels face a physical team that has athletic players, they could get overwhelmed. The Gaels must feed off the momentum gained by beating Gonzaga in the conference tournament.
STRENGTHS: Samhan is one of the best low-post players around, and virtually everyone on the team is a good 3-point shooter. The four starters besides Samhan all hit better than 37 percent of their 3-point shots, and four of the five starters hit better than 80 percent of their free throws. Samhan is the low man at 73 percent. The Gaels are also one of the best passing teams in the country, and the players are unselfish and play together well as a unit. Defensively, the Gaels are among the nation's leaders in defending the 3-pointer, and coach Randy Bennett is able to come up with effective game plans for opponents.
WEAKNESSES: Besides Samhan, the Gaels are not a powerful team physically, and they can get pushed around. They lack depth, so any foul trouble could be a major problem. The Gaels usually play at peak efficiency, which is a good trait, but it means they can't lift their game against tougher opponents. If the opponent is better, St. Mary's will have a hard time. The Gaels make the most of their physical attributes, but they are not a particularly athletic team, and athletic teams could bury them. Despite the presence of Samhan, the Gaels' interior defense is relatively weak. A team with an inside offensive presence will be a problem.
