On the list of problems teams would like to have, getting extended time off before a conference tournament and then having another lengthy stretch without a game before the NCAA Tournament would rank near or at the top.
Nevertheless, playing only once or twice over an almost three-week span after spending the previous four months playing typically twice per week can be an issue. Saint Mary's finished the regular season at 27-4 (17-1 WCC) with a 74-64 win over Oregon State in Moraga on Saturday night.
Because the WCC rewards its top two teams with byes into the semifinals of its conference tournament, the regular-season-champion Gaels will have had eight days off before they next play in Las Vegas on Monday night, March 10.