My first encounter with Saint Mary’s basketball occurred in November of 2004, when the Gaels came into Haas Pavilion and defeated Cal by a score of 61-52. It was a down year for the Golden Bear program, but that fact masked something I didn’t realize at the time: Saint Mary’s has put together a remarkable run of basketball success thanks in part to heavy recruitment in Australia. The Gaels seem to play Scottie Pippen to Gonzaga’s Michael Jordan in the top-heavy West Coast Conference, but longtime head coach Randy Bennett always has them in the mix for a NCAA Tournament berth.
Previewing Cal MBB vs. Saint Mary’s
