1996–97 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team

1996–97 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball
WCC regular season co-champions
WCC tournament champions
ConferenceWest Coast Conference
Record23–8 (12–4 WCC)
Head coach
Home arenaMcKeon Pavilion
Seasons
1996–97 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Santa Clara 10 4   .714 16 11   .593
Saint Mary's 10 4   .714 23 8   .742
San Francisco 9 5   .643 16 13   .552
San Diego 8 6   .571 17 11   .607
Gonzaga 8 6   .571 15 12   .556
Portland 4 10   .286 9 18   .333
Pepperdine 4 10   .286 6 21   .222
Loyola Marymount 3 11   .214 7 21   .250
1997 WCC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 1996–97 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represented Saint Mary's College of California in the 1996–97 college basketball season, coached by Ernie Kent for the 6th and final season. The Gaels competed in the West Coast Conference and played their home games at the McKeon Pavilion. They finished conference play with a record of 10–4 to place second. They won the 1997 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament to receive an automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they entered as the No. 14 seed West Region. The Gaels were beaten by No. 3 seed Wake Forest in the opening round[1] to end their season 23–8.

Roster

1996–97 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
C 52 Brad Millard 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 345 lb (156 kg) Fr Seattle, Washington
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[2]

Schedule and results

Source[3]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 20, 1996*
at Oklahoma State L 70–71  0–1
Gallagher-Iba Arena 
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Nov 24, 1996*
San Jose State L 64–66  0–2
McKeon Pavilion 
Moraga, California
Nov 26, 1996*
at Sacramento State W 69–60  1–2
Hornets Nest 
Sacramento, California
Dec 1, 1996*
UC Santa Barbara W 94–86  2–2
McKeon Pavilion 
Moraga, California
Feb 22, 1997
Portland W 66–53  20–7
(10–4)
McKeon Pavilion 
Moraga, California
WCC tournament
Mar 1, 1997*
(2) vs. (7) Pepperdine
Quarterfinals
W 85–69  21–7
Gersten Pavilion 
Los Angeles, California
Mar 2, 1997*
(2) at (8) Loyola Marymount
Semifinals
W 80–62  22–7
Gersten Pavilion 
Los Angeles, California
Mar 3, 1997*
(2) vs. (3) San Francisco
Championship
W 66–59  23–7
Gersten Pavilion 
Los Angeles, California
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1997*
(14 W) vs. (3 W) No. 9 Wake Forest
First round
L 46–68  23–8
McKale Center 
Tucson, Arizona
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.

References

  1. ^ "Duncan, W. Forest stand tall in win Deacons center out-duels St. Mary's". The Baltimore Sun. March 15, 1997. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  2. ^ "1996–97 Saint Mary's Gaels Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "1996-97 Schedule". Retrieved February 13, 2022.