One of the most consistent programs in college basketball, Saint Mary’s basketball looks to continue their success in 2024.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Saint Mary’s basketball.
They might not be the flashiest team, but there are few programs as consistent as Saint Mary’s basketball. They’ve made three straight tournaments, and have gone 41-6 in conference play in the last three seasons. Last year, they actually looked the best, going 15-1 in conference play, but were disappointed when they dropped their first-round tournament game.
Heading into this season, they lost one of their best players in the last two seasons, Aidan Mahaney. Mahaney goes to Creighton, and once again it’s Augustas Marciulionis’ team. Marciulionis was the conference player of the year last year and will look to repeat. They also bring back the big man Mitchell Saxon, who at 6-10, 250 is a brick wall down low. That guard-big combo will win them multiple games alone.
There are a few new faces as well. Mikey Lewis is most likely to start at the 2, and the team has high expectations for the freshman. They also bring in transfers from Arizona and Memphis, two power programs who’s players will make an impact on this roster. The bench isn’t too impressive on paper, but with the extended playing time, they can certainly prove their worth early on.
The non-conference has several fun games on there. The ones to circle are the games against the two Big Ten teams, Nebraska and USC. If they can win both, they can head into November as a top 20 team in the country. Saint Mary’s has won 20 games in every non-covid season since 2007-2008, and don’t expect it to be any different this year.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach:Â Randy Bennett (24th season at St Mary’s, 24th season overall)
2023-24 record:Â 26-8 (15-1)
2024 postseason finish:Â NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Exit
Notable departures:Â
- Aidan Mahaney (13.9 PPG, 2.6 APG, 2.6 RPG)
- Joshua Jefferson (10.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.3 APG)
- Alex Ducas (9.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.9 APG)
- Mason Forbes (5.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.4 APG)
Notable non-conference games:Â
- vs. Nebraska (Nov. 17)
- vs. USC (Nov. 28)
- at Utah (Dec. 7)
- vs. Boise State (Dec. 14)
- vs. Utah State (Dec. 22)
Projected Rotation
PG: Augustas Marciulionis (6-4, 200, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.4 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG
SG: Mikey Lewis (6-3, 180, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #126 ranked recruit
SF: Luke Barrett (6-6, 215, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.7 APG
PF: Paulius Murauskas (6-8, 235, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.7 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.1 APG (Arizona)
C: Mitchell Saxon (6-10, 250, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 11.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.3 BPG, 54.4 FG%
6: Ashton Hardaway (6-8, 210, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.3 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 8.3 MPG (Memphis)
7: Liam Campbell (6-4, 200, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #166 ranked recruit
8: Harry Wessels (7-1, 275, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 4.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 62.8 FG%
9: Jordan Ross (6-3, 190, So.)
2023-24 stats: 1.3 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.8 APG, 6.0 MPG
10: Rory Hawke (6-5, 200, Fr.)
*Joined midseason of 2023-24*
Saint Mary’s Basketball team MVP: Augustas Marciulionis
Marciulionis was the WCC Player of the Year last year, and while his numbers didn’t pop like most players of the year do, his impact was certainly felt. He is the leader of the team and took a huge leap last year in his first season as a full-time starter for Saint Mary’s basketball.
EvanMiya ranked him as the 86th best player in the country last year, and with another year of experience in his belt, expect him to crack the top 50, especially with Mahaney gone.
Saint Mary’s Basketball make-or-break player: Mikey Lewis
The reason why Saint Mary’s has been so good the past two seasons is the guard duo of Mahaney and Marciulionis. With Mahaney gone, and Ducas, the other main guard, also gone, the position becomes very thin. Lewis isn’t a top-100 recruit, but there is still a lot of optimism around him.
They’ll need him to have an impact from Day 1, and under Randy Bennett, he will make sure to set him up for success. If he struggles early on like most freshmen do, a lot of pressure falls onto Ashton Hardaway, and if neither can perform, the ceiling of this team reduces significantly.
Key analytic: Opponent PPG
If you believe defense wins championships, this is your team. Saint Mary’s finished third in the country in points allowed, with just 60.2 a game. The year before, they finished 4th with 60.0 allowed a game, and 13th at 61.3 the year before that. Randy Bennett builds his team around playing tough defense and limiting second-chance opportunities and having Saxon down low plays a big part in that.
If a team is going to beat them, they’ll need a lot of luck, because this team won’t let you hit 65 points on any given night.
Saint Mary’s Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 2nd in the WCC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Exit