3 things to know about Tigers’ first foe
The season-opening opponent carousel continues to spin for Memphis basketball.
The Tigers were originally set to face Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 10, but the NCAA delayed the start of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Then, Penny Hardaway’s squad was scheduled to meet Ohio State on Nov. 25 at the Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. But, the Buckeyes backed out Thursday due to rising COVID-19 numbers in South Dakota and because Ohio’s governor recently mandated a 14day quarantine period for those returning from states with elevated positive testing rates. Dayton pulled out of the tournament Friday for the same reasons.
So, now, Memphis is scheduled to face Saint Mary’s on the first day of the Crossover Classic. The Tigers and Gaels have met twice before with Memphis – most recently at the NCAA Tournament in 2013 – winning both games.
Here are five things to know about Saint Mary’s.
Drama the last time out
In the first meeting between Memphis and Saint Mary’s, the Tigers won 81-66 on Nov. 18, 2004 at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York.
More than eight years later, the programs met again. This time at Auburn Hills, Michigan, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Joe Jackson’s 14 points led the Tigers, while Adonis Thomas and Tarik Black put up a dozen each.
But Saint Mary’s made it interesting. Down 54-49 late, Eividas Petrulis banked in a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds to play. The Gaels got the ball back following a Memphis turnover, but Matthew Dellavedova (now with the Cleveland Cavaliers) missed a 3-point shot as time expired to give the 6thseeded Tigers the victory.
Strong play under Bennett
Saint Mary’s finished 26-8 last season, marking the fifth straight year the Gaels have won at least 22 games.
Randy Bennett is entering his 20th season as coach and is the school’s alltime winningest coach with 440 victories. Under Bennett, Saint Mary’s has reached the postseason 13 times (seven NCAA tournaments and six NIT appearances), including a string of 12 in a row interrupted only last season by the pandemic.
No other Saint Mary’s coach has ever led the Gaels to more than one postseason appearance during their tenure.
The Gaels opened last season by beating Wisconsin at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Gaels’ expectations
Saint Mary’s was picked to finish in third place in the West Coast Conference’s preseason poll, behind Gonzaga and BYU.
Bennett’s team is led by first team ALL-WCC preseason selection Matthias Tass. The 6-foot-10 junior from Estonia missed half of last season after tearing an ACL on Dec. 21, 2019. Before that, he averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and had 18 blocks in 14 games.
The Gaels, who lost 72 percent of their scoring mostly due to the departures of Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts, will feature a new-look roster as they welcome six newcomers.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.