NCAAB Game Preview - St. Francis (PA) at Saint Mary's

Sat Nov 11, 2017 8:00 PM EST

Two teams picked to win their respective conferences will meet when No. 22 Saint Mary's hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) in Moraga, Calif., on Saturday in their season openers.

Saint Mary's returns four starters from a team that finished 29-5 last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

"Probably the most unselfish team I have ever coached -- probably as an assistant or head coach," said Randy Bennett, who is beginning his 17th season as Saint Mary's head coach. Bennett agree to a contract extension on the eve of the season that will keep him with the school through the 2026-27 campaign.

The Gaels were a unanimous choice of the coaches to win the West Coast Conference title this season, ahead of 2017 national runner-up Gonzaga.

"I'm really not that concerned with it," Bennett told the San Francisco Chronicle. "As soon as the season ended last year, we knew we were going to have expectations with this coming year. So, we've been talking about that, dealing with it."

Three returning starters -- guard Emmett Naar, forward Calvin Hermanson and center Jock Landale -- were named to the 10-man preseason all-conference team, with the 6-foot-11 Landale being the star after averaging 16.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and shooting 61.1 percent from the field last year.

"It's kind of nice," Gaels forward Calvin Hermanson told the Chronicle about being the WCC favorite. "I'll quote coach Bennett: 'I wish it meant something.' ... We still think that Gonzaga's the team to beat, especially after losing to them three times."

As usual, Saint Mary's will have an Australian flavor. Six Australians are on the roster, and with Kyle Clark possibly replacing returning starter Evan Fitzer at one starting forward spot, the Gaels may have three Aussies in the starting lineup, with Clark joining Naar and Lansdale.

The one question about Saint Mary's is the point guard spot, which was handled efficiently by Joe Rahon last season when he was a senior. Sophomore Jordan Ford may get the first crack at that vacated guard spot.

"Joe Rahon was a special leader," Bennett said.

Saint Mary's is a lot like Saint Francis. Both are small Catholic schools, with Saint Mary's having about 2,700 undergraduates and Saint Francis having approximately 1,700. And both play in a cozy arena that seats about 3,500 people.

Their recent basketball history is significantly different, however. The Gaels have been to the NCAA Tournament eight times, and it would be a major disappointment if they don't get there for the sixth time in 11 years this season.

Saint Francis' one and only trip to the NCAA Tournament was in 1991, but the Red Flash are expected to make it for a second time after being the coaches' unanimous pick to win the Northeast Conference title this season.

It took awhile to reach that level.

"We had to sell our vision and guys had to buy in without seeing immediate, concrete results," said sixth-year head coach Rob Kimmel, whose team went 5-24 in his first season with the Red Flash.

Saint Francis returns four starters from a team that finished 17-17 and reached the conference title game last season. An indication of the Red Flash's strength is that fifth-year senior Malik Harmon, a three-year starter before missing all of last season with a knee injury, is unlikely to be a starter in the season opener.

Isaiah Blackmon and 2017 NEC Rookie of the Year Keith Braxton were preseason all-conference selections, but the Red Flash may miss the defensive presence of shot-blocker Josh Nebo, the only starter from last season who is not back.

"We're fast, we're strong and we can play in the open court," returning point guard starter Jamaal King said. "We can turn people over and use our strength and athleticism to speed people up and play at our pace."

While the Red Flash will try to speed up the game, the Gaels hope to play at a controlled pace with their efficient halfcourt attack. Both teams depend heavily on 3-point shooting, so a lot of long-range heaves are expected Saturday.

The Red Flash's schedule suggests Kimmel has high hopes for this team. Besides the game at Saint Mary's, Saint Francis plays road games against Louisville (Nov. 24) and Duke (Dec. 5) this season.

"We want to bring the guys into environments that will be loud, so they experience that early," Kimmel said. "The environments in the (NEC) championship and semifinals last year were hostile. We think we can give the guys that experience with three Top 25 teams."