Saint Mary's received one first-place vote and 70 points in the WCC coaches' preseason poll, second to Santa Clara. The Moraga school has won four straight WCC titles and made five straight NCAA Tournaments.
A new head coach
Mickey McConnell, a former Gaels star who spent seven years as an assistant, is now head coach. The roster has six returners, four of whom started at least one game last season. There are also 10 newcomers, including four transfers from power-conference schools.
Joshua Dent
Junior point guard Joshua Dent, from Wollongong, Australia, was named to the preseason all-conference team. He is the only first-team All-WCC player from last season still on a conference roster. As a freshman he played 3.5 minutes a game. As a sophomore he led the WCC in minutes, averaged 13.2 points and shot 46.7% from the field, 40.4% from three and 91.8% at the line. He also led the team with 185 assists and 52 steals.
A tough nonconference schedule
- Nov. 8: Nevada, in South Lake Tahoe
- Nov. 20: Saint Louis, at home
- Nov. 26-27: UCLA, then Texas or Georgetown, at the Rady Children's Invitational in San Diego
- Dec. 5: at Oklahoma State
- Dec. 12: at New Mexico
The school says Saint Mary's is the top WCC team in the preseason KenPom ratings at No. 72, with Santa Clara at No. 92. Conference play begins Jan. 2. The Gaels play Santa Clara on Jan. 30 in Moraga and Feb. 27 at the Leavey Center.