Full Court Press: Utah State-St. Mary's Preview

Mickey McConnell looks to shoot St. Mary's into a higher NCAA Tournament seed as Gaels host Utah State tomorrow night in BracketBuster matchup. (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated)

This is probably the most unorthodox and unexpected pregame preview I've done, but it never hurts to branch out. In one corner is a team fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance and poised to take over as the dominant team in their conference; the other home to a team that has managed to hang around the lower part of the Top 25 over each of the last several years. Two perennial tournament participants, one underrated nonconference matchup as we gear up for an entertaining stretch run. Without any further ado...

#24 Utah State Aggies (24-3, 12-1 Western Athletic)

Head Coach: Stew Morrill

Probable Starting Lineup:

PG: Brockeith Pane (6-1 Jr., 11.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 43% FG, 78% FT)
SG: Pooh Williams (6-4 Sr., 9.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 39% FG, 79% FT, 39% 3pt)

SF: Tyler Newbold (6-5 Sr., 6.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 41% FG, 76% FT, 35% 3pt)

PF: Tai Wesley (6-7 Sr., 14.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 59% FG, 72% FT)

C: Nate Bendall (6-9 Sr., 5.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 49% FG, 70% FT)

Key Reserves:

G Brian Green (6-1 Sr., 10.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 46% FG, 76% FT, 45% 3pt)

F Brady Jardine (6-7 Jr., 8.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 55% FG, 63% FT)

Keys To Victory:

A Different World - Moraga, California is a long way from Logan, Utah; but despite the geographical disparity, the two schools are somewhat similar. Utah State will have to navigate the crowd without the support of its notorious student section, which is easier said than done. If the Aggies need any pointers on how to play an NCAA Tournament-caliber game at the McKeon Pavilion, all coach Stew Morrill needs to do is reach out to Steve Lavin, whose St. John's team gave the Gaels all they could handle back in November in a hard-fought five-point loss.

Shoot 'Em Up - The Aggies don't hesitate to show you that they're one of the more proficient groups of marksmen, shooting 47 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc, compared to 39 and 31 for their collective opponents, respectively. Big men Tai Wesley and Brady Jardine are the high-percentage shot takers for Utah State, shooting 59 and 55 percent from the field respectively, while fellow forward Nate Bendall isn't that far behind with his 49 percent clip.

Green Means Go - Not at the opening tip, but definitely at some point. Guard Brian Green is the Aggies' top sub, averaging just under 11 points per game in just 25 minutes. Green is the long-range threat on this team, as 59 of his 92 field goals are trifectas. Since he's not as inclined to dish it out as some of his teammates are, it wouldn't be a surprise if he hooked up with Clint Steindl in a battle from behind the line.

#23 St. Mary's Gaels (22-5, 10-2 West Coast)

Head Coach: Randy Bennett

Probable Starting Lineup:

PG: Mickey McConnell (6-0 Sr., 16.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 52% FG, 89% FT, 47% 3pt)

SG: Matthew Dellavedova (6-4 So., 12.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 41% FG, 88% FT, 37% 3pt)
SF: Clint Steindl (6-7 Jr., 7.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 43% FG, 50% FT, 42% 3pt)
PF: Rob Jones (6-6 Jr., 13.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 47% FG, 75% FT)
C: Tim Williams (6-9 So., 5.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 56% FG, 70% FT)

Key Reserves:

F Mitchell Young (6-9 So., 10.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 62% FG, 57% FT)
F Kenton Walker (6-9 Jr., 6.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 54% FG, 57% FT)
G Stephen Holt (6-4 Fr., 5.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 41% FG, 83% FT)

Keys To Victory:

Spread Offense - With four members of their regular rotation averaging double figures and a balanced unit whose nightly median is 80 points per contest, it's no secret that St. Mary's is a hardwood version of the Millrose Games. A track meet for any opponent who faces them, the Gaels have broken 70 in all but three games this season; including 12 where they have gone for over 80. Moreover, if you thought Utah State's shooting numbers were impressive, St. Mary's blows them out of the water with clips of 50 percent from the field and 39 from three.

Mac Attack - Those who know me well know that I've used that expression to describe the St. John's women's basketball team that Kim Barnes Arico has built from the ground up into a perennial NCAA Tournament contender. This time, however, the term will be used to describe Mickey McConnell. The Gaels' senior point guard has an all-around stat line that will simply make you say "OH BABY." Seriously. I knew the kid was good, (having seen his breakout NCAA Tournament last year, and that was with Omar Samhan stealing his spotlight) but not this good. Averages of 17 points, six assists, a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio, 52 percent from the field and 47 percent from the land of the three-ball are numbers that don't pop up overnight. It's just a shame he and Jimmer Fredette are seniors. With Brigham Young moving into the West Coast Conference next year, just imagine the show Mickey and The Jimmer would put on twice each season.

Bloomin' Onions - Randy Bennett became known for his Australian pipeline when Patty Mills was his first superstar player in Moraga. Now, Bennett has a pair of Aussies in sophomore Matthew Dellavedova and junior Clint Steindl; both of whom are also as trifecta-talented as McConnell. Dellavedova reminds me a lot of a shorter and slightly more productive Chase Budinger during his days at Arizona, only with a higher assist total and lower rebound total. Steindl has blossomed into a pure shooter who can (and will) kill from long range if given the opportunity, as evidenced by his 22-point performance against the debut of the St. John's matchup zone in what turned out to be his coming-out party.

So, Who Wins?

It will be a packed house at the McKeon Pavilion one way or another; and while the two teams appear to be evenly matched on paper, it won't be as close as some may think. I mentioned that both schools have turned themselves into NCAA Tournament regulars, but Utah State will need a national championship performance from their unit to take the Gaels down. Both are experienced, but St. Mary's is loaded with just a little more. In fact, look for McConnell to singlehandedly make the difference in this one as the Gaels play themselves away from a prospective 7/10 or 8/9 game in the Big Dance and closer to maybe a 5 or 6 seed.

Your Final: St. Mary's 78, Utah State 67