CLEVELAND – During news conferences at Rocket Arena on Saturday afternoon, the topics of conversation regarding Sunday's matchup between Saint Mary's and Alabama centered around the contrasting styles of the Gaels and the Tide, the point-guard matchup between Augustas Marciulionis and Mark Sears and how much a trip to the Sweet 16 would mean to the Gaels.
To borrow from Alabama's pace of play, let's not waste any time getting to those topics.
The contrasting styles: The Gaels, the 7-seed in the East Region, rank fourth in the nation in fewest points allowed per game at 60.