2025–26 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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The 2025–26 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represented Saint Mary's College of California during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Randy Bennett in his 25th and final season at Saint Mary's. The Gaels played their home games at the University Credit Union Pavilion[a] in Moraga, California, as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC).
- Randy Bennett (25th season)
Joe Rahon
| 2025–26 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball | |
|---|---|
WCC regular season co-champions | |
NCAA tournament, First round | |
| Conference | West Coast Conference |
| Record | 27–6 (16–2 WCC) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Mickey McConnell Joe Rahon |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | University Credit Union Pavilion (Capacity: 3,500) |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Gonzaga † | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 31 | – | 4 | .886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Mary's | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 27 | – | 6 | .818 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Santa Clara | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 26 | – | 9 | .743 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 17 | – | 16 | .515 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Francisco | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 17 | – | 16 | .515 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pacific | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seattle | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 21 | – | 14 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portland | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 15 | – | 19 | .441 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loyola Marymount | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 12 | – | 21 | .364 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pepperdine | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 9 | – | 23 | .281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 WCC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
The Gaels finished the 2024–25 season 29–6, 17–1 in WCC play to win the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the WCC tournament, they defeated Pepperdine in the semifinals and before losing to Gonzaga in the championship. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the East region, they defeated Vanderbilt in the first round before losing to Alabama in the second round.
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Ross | 2 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Sophomore | Layton, UT | Transferred to Georgia |
| Augustas Marčiulionis | 3 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Senior | Vilnius, Lithuania | Graduated/undrafted in 2025 NBA draft; signed with the Los Angeles Lakers |
| Ashton Hardaway | 9 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Sophomore | Carson, CA | Transferred to Memphis |
| Mitchell Saxen | 11 | C | 6'11" | 250 | Graduate Student | Seattle, WA | Graduated |
| Luke Barrett | 33 | G/F | 6'6" | 215 | Piedmont, CA | Graduated |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Duckett | 2 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Sophomore | Carlsbad, CA | San Diego |
| Jazz Gardner | 32 | C | 7'0" | 230 | Junior | Pasadena, CA | Pacific |
2025 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillan Shaw #19 SF |
Northridge, CA | Heritage Christian School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 15, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: | ||||||
| Trent MacLean #54 C |
Westwood Village, CA | Southern California Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Apr 23, 2025 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: | ||||||
| Mantas Juzėnas SF |
Kaunas, Lithuania | Žalgiris Kaunas | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Dec 24, 2024 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (NR) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: nr Rivals: nr ESPN: nr | ||||||
Sources:
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2026 recruiting class
| College recruiting (2026) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| JRob Croy SF |
Riverside, CA | Polytechnic High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Sep 2, 2025 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: nr Rivals: nr ESPN: nr | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
| 2025–26 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 18, 2025* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at No. 13 Arizona | L 68–81 | 14 – Dent | 10 – McKeever | 3 – Lewis | McKale Center (13,328) Tucson, AZ | |||||
| October 26, 2025* 9:30 a.m. |
at Ole Miss | W 68–53 | 8 – Gad | 9 – McKeever | 8 – Dent | SJB Pavilion Oxford, MS | |||||
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
St. Thomas (MN) | W 84–58 | 1–0 |
23 – Lewis | 10 – McKeever | 6 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,327) Moraga, CA | ||||
| November 7, 2025* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ |
Chattanooga | W 87–66 | 2–0 |
28 – Lewis | 8 – Tied | 6 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,381) Moraga, CA | ||||
| November 11, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Ohio | W 90–60 | 3–0 |
20 – Campbell | 10 – McKeever | 5 – Tied | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,012) Moraga, CA | ||||
| November 14, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
North Texas | W 80–49 | 4–0 |
23 – Lewis | 11 – Murauskas | 7 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,392) Moraga, CA | ||||
| November 19, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Arkansas State | W 85–72 | 5–0 |
24 – Murauskas | 17 – McKeever | 7 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,087) Moraga, CA | ||||
| November 22, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
UC Merced | W 96–42 | 6–0 |
24 – Dent | 10 – McKeever | 6 – Lewis | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,002) Moraga, CA | ||||
| November 26, 2025* 4:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
vs. Wichita State Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinal |
W 70–65 | 7–0 |
20 – Marauskas | 15 – McKeever | 3 – Lewis | Imperial Arena (640) Nassau, Bahamas | ||||
| November 27, 2025* 11:30 a.m., ESPN |
vs. Virginia Tech Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal |
W 77–66 | 8–0 |
19 – Murauskas | 8 – McKeever | 6 – Dent | Imperial Arena (258) Nassau, Bahamas | ||||
| November 28, 2025* 10:00 a.m., ESPN2 |
vs. No. 24 Vanderbilt Battle 4 Atlantis championship |
L 71–96 | 8–1 |
24 – Murauskas | 7 – McKeever | 3 – Tied | Imperial Arena (890) Nassau, Bahamas | ||||
| December 7, 2025* 11:00 a.m., ESPN+ |
at Davidson | W 70–61 | 9–1 |
21 – Dent | 13 – McKeever | 5 – Dent | John M. Belk Arena (2,692) Davidson, NC | ||||
| December 14, 2025* 3:00 p.m. |
vs. Boise State | L 67–68 | 9–2 |
21 – Murauskas | 11 – Murauskas | 6 – Dent | Mountain America Center Idaho Falls, ID | ||||
| December 19, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Florida Atlantic | W 88–75 | 10–2 |
24 – Dent | 11 – McKeever | 6 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,129) Moraga, CA | ||||
| December 22, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Northern Iowa | W 63–58 | 11–2 |
20 – Murauskas | 9 – Shaw | 3 – Tied | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA | ||||
| WCC regular season | |||||||||||
| December 28, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at LMU | W 78–73 | 12–2 (1–0) |
18 – Shaw | 9 – Murauskas | 5 – Dent | Gersten Pavilion (1,546) Los Angeles, CA | ||||
| December 30, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Pepperdine | W 72–45 | 13–2 (2–0) |
19 – Murauskas | 10 – McKeever | 3 – Tied | Firestone Fieldhouse (816) Moraga, CA | ||||
| January 2, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Portland | W 78–57 | 14–2 (3–0) |
24 – Murauskas | 7 – Murauskas | 7 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,372) Moraga, CA | ||||
| January 4, 2026 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Seattle | W 93–76 | 15–2 (4–0) |
30 – Murauskas | 15 – Murauskas | 9 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,410) Moraga, CA | ||||
| January 10, 2026 2:00 p.m., CBSSN |
Washington State | W 88–82 | 16–2 (5–0) |
26 – Dent | 11 – McKeever | 6 – Tied | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA | ||||
| January 13, 2026 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at San Francisco | W 82–68 | 17–2 (6–0) |
21 – Murauskas | 17 – McKeever | 7 – Dent | Sobrato Center (2,784) San Francisco, CA | ||||
| January 17, 2026 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Santa Clara | L 54–62 | 17–3 (6–1) |
12 – Murauskas | 10 – Murauskas | 3 – Dent | Leavey Center (2,700) Santa Clara, CA | ||||
| January 21, 2026 8:00 p.m., CBSSN |
Oregon State | W 81–51 | 18–3 (7–1) |
16 – Dent | 8 – Tied | 11 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,390) Moraga, CA | ||||
| January 24, 2026 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at Portland | W 75–69 | 19–3 (8–1) |
24 – Murauskas | 10 – Wessels | 7 – Dent | Chiles Center (1,679) Portland, OR | ||||
| January 31, 2026 7:30 p.m., ESPN |
at No. 6 Gonzaga Rivalry |
L 65–73 | 19–4 (8–2) |
16 – Dent | 8 – McKeever | 3 – Dent | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA | ||||
| February 4, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
at San Diego | W 87–60 | 20–4 (9–2) |
14 – Shaw | 10 – Shaw | 6 – Dent | Jenny Craig Pavilion (3,387) San Diego, CA | ||||
| February 7, 2026 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
San Francisco | W 79–54 | 21–4 (10–2) |
20 – Muraskas | 14 – McKeever | 11 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA | ||||
| February 11, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
Pepperdine | W 88–60 | 22–4 (11–2) |
18 – Murauskas | 11 – Wessels | 11 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,405) Moraga, CA | ||||
| February 14, 2026 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
at Pacific | W 72–61 | 23–4 (12–2) |
32 – Murauskas | 15 – Murauskas | 8 – Dent | Alex G. Spanos Center (2,090) Stockton, CA | ||||
| February 18, 2026 6:00 p.m., CBSSN |
at Seattle | W 72–70 | 24–4 (13–2) |
22 – Lewis | 9 – Murauskas | 5 – Dent | Climate Pledge Arena (2,507) Seattle, WA | ||||
| February 21, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at Washington State | W 83–67 | 25–4 (14–2) |
22 – Dent | 12 – Murauskas | 4 – Murauskas | Beasley Coliseum (4,230) Pullman, WA | ||||
| February 25, 2026 8:00 p.m., CBSSN |
Santa Clara | W 86–67 | 26–4 (15–2) |
21 – Lewis | 14 – Shaw | 8 – Dent | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA | ||||
| February 28, 2026 7:30 p.m., ESPN |
No. 9 Gonzaga Rivalry |
W 70–59 | 27–4 (16–2) |
31 – Lewis | 10 – Shaw | 4 – Tied | University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA | ||||
| WCC tournament | |||||||||||
| March 9, 2026 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
(2) No. 21 | vs. (3) Santa Clara Semifinal |
L 71–76 | 27–5 |
26 – Murauskas | 11 – McKeever | 7 – Dent | Orleans Arena (6,343) Paradise, NV | |||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| March 19, 2026* 4:35 p.m., truTV |
(7 S) No. 22 | vs. (10 S) Texas A&M First round |
L 50–63 | 27–6 |
18 – Dent | 8 – McKeever | 4 – Tied | Paycom Center (13,815) Oklahoma City, OK | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Pacific Time. | |||||||||||
Source[1]
Rankings
Notes
- Formerly known as McKeon Pavilion