Bracketology 2012: Saint Mary's Claims WCC Title

The Saint Mary's Gaels boosted their stock greatly over the last week as they went on to win the West Coast Conference Tournament. While most Bracketology projections had SMC somewhere in the 8-9 seed range, their win over Gonzaga and various other teams in the tourney propelled them to a six seed, according to Blogging The Bracket.

In the latest update, the Gaels would likely face the winner of the 13-seed play-in game, which currently consists of South Florida and Drexel. Should Saint Mary's advance, they would face the three seed in the second round; the current potential opponents would be Marquette, Michigan, Georgetown and Indiana.

SMC did themselves a huge favor by winning the WCC title. The team was not on the bubble heading into the week, but the difference between an early round exit and the conference championship could end up being as many as three or four seeds come the NCAA Tournament.

Selection Sunday is set for March 11th at 3 p.m. PT.

The Saint Mary's Gaels didn't just earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with their win over Gonzaga in a thrilling West Coast Conference championship game. They also earned the right to move up in the seedings of ESPN's Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.

The Gaels moved from a no. 8 seed to no. 6 in the Midwest region and would face Harvard in the first round of the tourney with a possible matchup with Georgetown awaiting them in the second round.

The Gaels were able to take matters out of the hands of the committee with their win over the Zags, even though they were fairly secure with their place in the tourney either way. But a team always breathes easier when that word ‘automatic' replaces ‘at-large' in front of their bid.

Now, all they have to do is wait to see if Lunardi is correct in his prediction of where they'll be seeded.

The Saint Mary's Gaels continue through one of the most successful seasons in school history as they clinched the WCC's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament Monday evening with their win over Gonzaga. The Gaels removed any possible doubt about their postseason opportunity and now sit and wait for their first round opponent. The NCAA tournament selection show will get going this Sunday, at which point SMC will find out its destination.

Heading into the WCC title game, the Gaels were projected in the seven to eight seed range. In securing the WCC postseason title, to go with their regular season title, Saint Mary's should be in position to climb as high as possibly a six seed. The selection committee could be extra generous and go even higher, but it is going to be a tough call. SMC will benefit in the RPI with this win given Gonzaga's high standing. Their eventual destination will likely depend in part on how the major conference tournaments pan out over the next six days. An upset here or there could provide the Gaels with an opportunity to creep up.

NCAA men's basketball enters "Championship Week" as the major conferences get started with their conference tournaments. The week gets going however, with some "mid-major" conferences getting the spotlight on Monday. The West Coast Conference and Colonial Athletic Association will both send out their top two seeds in Monday night championship games on ESPN.

For WCC regular season champ Saint Mary's, a win over Gonzaga would secure the postseason conference title, and also potentially move the Gaels out of the dreaded 8/9 matchup. Although SMC is pretty close to a lock for an at-large bid, they are on the bubble when it comes to the 8/9 contest. SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean projects Saint Mary's as a seven seed, while ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects the Gaels as an eight seed.

Seeding will also depend in part on how some of the remaining tournaments play out. Bid theft remains a possibility with a few upsets. While SMC would not appear to be in danger of losing their bid, a potentially higher seed getting knocked out early this week could benefit the Gaels seeding next week.

The Saint Mary's Gaels may be a bit under-the-radar to most fans across the country, but those who have seen them play know they are the real deal on the court. A team that is balanced well on both ends of the court and features senior leadership, some have the Gaels pegged for a potential Cinderella run at the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Most projections currently have SMU earning a seed somewhere in the 6-10 range, which seems appropriate given their current resumé. It would take a complete and total collapse at the West Coast Conference Tournament to drop even further down the field of 68 come Selection Sunday. If the team was able to win the WCC and get a little bit of help from other schools, a five or six-seed could even be possible.

The latest Bracketology update from SB Nation has Saint Mary's earning a seven-seed and facing Cincinnati in the first round in the 7-10 matchup. Should the Gaels advance, they would likely square off with the Michigan St. Spartans in the second round.

The next week should be very telling for where SMU ends up for March Madness. Given a favorable seed, the team could definitely make a deep run in 2012.

The Saint Mary's Gaels recent struggles (losing three of four in a decisive manner) had dropped them from a potential four or five seed all the way to an eight or nine seed. They bounced back with a big win over the San Francisco Dons to wrap up conference play and secure the WCC's outright regular season title. They have been on top of the conference all season long, but getting the title is a handy trinket in the eyes of the selection committee.

The Gaels head into the WCC postseason tournament looking to add a postseason title to their list of accomplishments. If they can win their semifinal matchup, they would likely get a chance at either Gonzaga or BYU. Wins over Loyola Marymount and either of those schools would be a benefit to their case for a higher seed.

Joe Lunardi will release his latest bracket early this morning, but Sunday afternoon he released a teaser of things to come. He provided an abbreviated version of his bracket, focusing in on his S-Curve Projection. In that he has Saint Mary's on the eight line, but at the very top as the No. 29 team.

Lunardi has New Mexico immediately ahead of the Gaels and Gonzaga further in front. If SMC can win the conference tournament, that alone should be enough to get them ahead of the Bulldogs. Additionally, Lunardi has San Diego State on the same seven line as New Mexico. That opens some room for change there as well. If Saint Mary's can get off the eight line and into seven territory it provides a boost for their chances at making any sort of run in March.

The Saint Mary's Gaels enter Saturday action looking to wrap up their 2011-12 regular season with some positive momentum before the WCC tournament starts next Wednesday. The Gaels defeated Portland on Thursday to lock up the number one seed and bye to the semifinals, but they had lost three of four prior to that, dropping road games to Gonzaga and Murray State and a home game to Loyola Marymount.

Saint Mary's is just about assured a spot in the NCAA tournament, but they are looking to boost their seeding in these finals weeks. SB Nation and Joe Lunardi are both projecting the Gaels as an eight seed. The 8/9 matchup is one of the worst to get in part because you know you are going to face the number one seed over the weekend. Upsets do happen, but it's a tough second round matchup.

The Gaels are already getting a little bit of help as the season winds down. Notre Dame is projected anywhere from a four to a seven seed and was upset by 13-16 St. John's. It will not be enough to drop the Irish below the Gaels, but it gets them moving in the right direction. If SMC can beat San Francisco Saturday night and then win the WCC postseason tournament, they could very well work themselves up to a six or a five seed.

Bracketology 101 is getting closer and closer to symmetry across the various pundits.

Well, not really.

SB Nation has the St. Mary's Gaels as a no. 8 seed in the Midwest, with top seeded Missouri waiting for them in the second round if they can get past West Virginia.

SB Nation also has the California Golden Bears as a no. 8 seed in the East, far, far away from home in Pittsburgh, playing BYU in the first round. Syracuse - who would not be far away from home - would be waiting for them in Pittsburgh in the second round. No gifts given to the Bears.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi isn't making anything easy for St. Mary's. He currently has the Gaels as the no. 7 seed in the West region facing West Virginia in the first round. But awaiting them could be national powerhouse North Carolina, with Baylor and Murray St. both possible Sweet 16 games. At least the Gaels have the past to look at for guidance. Since, well, they've done this before.

Lunardi has Cal as a no. 9 seed in the Midwest playing Southern Miss. But in the second round would await top-seeded Missouri. Have fun with that one.

The start of a new week means the return of bracketology reports following a week of exciting college basketball action. The Top 25 saw numerous significant upsets that have the polls seeing a lot of change. For bracketology reports, change is a little more subtle because quality losses do not hurt a team in tournament projections as they do in the various polls.

Saint Mary's lost a tough road contest to Gonzaga on Thursday night, and while it will drop them a decent amount in the various polls, it is not hurting their current bracket projection. SB Nation and Joe Lunardi both released their latest bracketology reports and Saint Mary's remains a five seed, which is where they were a week ago.

Saint Mary's remaining regular season schedule does not provide a lot of opportunities for growth in potential seeding. This week they face Loyola Marymount and Murray State, which are two solid opponents. The problem is their computer profiles are not particularly great at this point and will not do much for the Gaels chances of boosting their seed.

However, if Saint Mary's can run the table and take the WCC postseason tournament title, they could be looking at a four seed, and potentially a three seed if they can get a win over Gonzaga in the finals. They would be on a hot streak with a win over a highly rated Bulldogs squad. That should conceivably be enough to get them a further tournament seed boost.