CLEVELAND — Shortly after the NCAA Tournament bracket was released, Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington launched his research project on St. Mary’s. St. Mary’s Mitchell Saxen grabs a rebound from USF’s Volodymyr Markovetskyy during the Gaels’ 70-66 win in Moraga on Feb. 20. Byington checked the Gaels’ past five games and found they outrebounded Gonzaga by 13 during a Feb. 22 win in Spokane, Wash. Then they were plus-17 on the boards against Loyola Marymount … and plus-17 against Oregon State … and plus-23 against Pepperdine … and plus-15 in a rematch with Gonzaga. Byington began to wonder: Really? Their rebounding is phenomenal,” he said Thursday. “You almost think it’s a misprint. I mean, somebody outrebounding another Division I team by that much is incredible. And they’re doing it against Gonzaga and other really good teams.” St. Mary’s leads the nation in rebounding margin, at plus-10.7 per game. That’s one reason the Gaels (28-5) were good enough to earn the No. 7 seed in the East Region, in which they will face 10th-seeded Vanderbilt (20-12) on Friday at Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In seeking an explanation for St. Mary’s success on the glass, it’s logical to start with broad-shouldered, 6-foot-10 senior center Mitchell Saxen. Power forward Paulius Murauskas (6-8) and small forward Luke Barrett (6-6) also are sturdy, dogged rebounders. They present a formidable challenge for a Vanderbilt team that ranks 198th nationally in rebounding margin. The Commodores will test St. Mary’s in other ways — playing faster and pressuring the ball on defense — but the Gaels’ strength near the basket worries Byington.
“Their big guys do a great job,” he said. “They’ll wedge you underneath the rim. On the offensive side, the ball goes up and they’re getting you underneath the rim with their size and weight. “And then No. 33 (Barrett) comes in and crashes every single time. He’s really impressive, too. … You can tell what a team emphasizes.”
St. Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett compared Vanderbilt to Santa Clara, given how the Commodores like to play in transition and also attack teams by penetrating into the paint. The Gaels beat Santa Clara twice this season, by 13 points on the road and nine at home. St. Mary’s leans on staples of a Bennett-coached team: stout defense and deliberate, efficient offense. That will make for a fascinating contrast Friday, as Vanderbilt tries to play at a quicker pace than the Gaels.
“They have good guards and they like to play fast,” St. Mary’s guard Augustas Marciulionis said of the Commodores. “They try to force turnovers and get into their transition offense, so it’s important we take care of the ball.”
The Gaels rank fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing 60.7 points per game. Vanderbilt averages 79.6 points on offense, but Byington realizes his team will need to adapt to a slower-than-preferred tempo. “We’re not going to be able to speed them up,” Byington said. “The game will not be in the 90s. … We have to understand this is going to be a grind.”
Bennett on Pac-12: St. Mary’s will lose its longtime WCC rival, Gonzaga, when the Bulldogs join the reshaped Pac-12 in July 2026. The Pac-12 might expand more before then, so Bennett was asked how he would respond if school officials sought his input on a potential move. “I’d need to know more,” he said. “Things are changing so fast right now. These presidents, athletic directors and commissioners are making decisions that are pretty impactful for a long time. The Pac-12 duffed it up and became the Pac-2. I think they’re going to recover, but it’s not easy. … There are a lot of things involved, so you better make good decisions and expand at the right time. There are so many things involved and it’s moving so rapidly. I can’t get a grasp on it, and believe me I think about it every day.”
