This time around, Saint Mary's did not feel the sting of a snub from the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
A gaudy 2015-16 regular season meant nothing to the committee, which passed on the Gaels after evaluating their weak RPI and strength-of-schedule numbers. There were no such anxious moments this season as the Gaels had enough quality wins and solid-enough metrics to lock up their first NCAA bid since 2013.
Now Saint Mary's has to prove it belongs.
The seventh-seeded Gaels will play No. 10 seed VCU in a West Region first-round game Thursday from Salt Lake City.