Gaels’ plan to avoid NCAA snub: win it all
The Gaels don’t have much to worry about as far as making the NCAA Tournament goes. They are ranked No. 20 in the nation and two of their three losses have come to the No. 4 team in the country, WCC regularseason champion Gonzaga.
That’s OK. St. Mary’s plans to win this weekend’s WCC tournament in Las Vegas anyway. The Gaels (26-3) face Portland (11-21) in the second round Saturday.
St. Mary’s ranking (and school record for wins) doesn’t totally erase the memory of last year’s NCAA Tournament snub.
“We’re definitely feeling good about (our situation), but the best way to get in is to win the Vegas tournament,” guard Emmett Naar told reporters. “That’s our mind-set right now.”
The Gaels are better than they were last season, as they not only returned their top eight scorers but didn’t know slimmed-down center Jock Landale would take a leap and improve to a 16.8 points-a-night scorer.
“Our RPI is way up there (16). Last year it was high 20s, low 30s,” coach Randy Bennett told reporters. “It’s different, but we’re going to try to do something different and win up in Vegas.”
The path to a third shot at Gonzaga starts against a team that St. Mary’s has smacked around pretty good, holding the Pilots to nine points in the first half of a road win Jan. 12.
Portland kept things closer in the rematch at McKeon Pavilion Feb. 9, entering halftime tied but losing 51-41 to the Gaels.
Guard Joe Rahon was the WCC’s defensive player of the year and leads the way when St. Mary’s offense bogs down and it needs a lift on the other side of the court.
“It’s everything,” Bennett said. “It’s not easy for us to score. Our offensive numbers are good, but we have to grind, and we’re grindy because of our defense. Our defense has made us consistent.”
Rahon, a senior, is the first Gaels player since Omar Samhan in 2010 to win the award, and St. Mary’s is second in the nation in scoring defense (56.1 points per game). The Gaels are also fourth in the NCAA in rebound margin, at 9.8 per game.
Offensively, while Landale ranks 29th in the country with 13 doubledoubles, the Gaels are also starting to get a bigger contribution from 6foot-10 sophomore Evan Fitzner. A key contributor last season, Fitzner has shaken off a slow start and middle of the season and is averaging 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in his past four games — almost double his season averages.
He could be key if St. Mary’s gets another crack at Gonzaga, as scoring balance and depth have been big advantages for the Zags. Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vtafur@sfchronicle. com Twitter: @VicTafur