St. Mary’s punches ticket to NCAA Tournament: Here’s where the Gaels are seeded

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Logan Johnson #0, Mitchell Saxen #11, Augustas Marciulionis #3, Alex Ducas #44 and Kyle Bowen #14 of the Saint Mary’s…

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Logan Johnson #0, Mitchell Saxen #11, Augustas Marciulionis #3, Alex Ducas #44 and Kyle Bowen #14 of the Saint Mary’s Gaels stand on the court in the second half of a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament against the Brigham Young Cougars at the Orleans Arena on March 06, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Gaels defeated the Cougars 76-69. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

by: Aaron Tolentino

Posted: Mar 12, 2023 / 03:30 PM PDT

Updated: Mar 12, 2023 / 03:43 PM PDT

(KRON) — Let’s dance! A Bay Area team is headed to March Madness.

The Saint Mary’s College men’s basketball team has earned a spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Gaels will be the fifth seed in the West Region.

SMC will play Friday against Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Albany, New York. Tipoff time and venue are TBD.

Despite the 77-51 loss to No. 9 Gonzaga in last week’s West Coast Conference (WCC) championship, the Gaels earned an at-large bid after going 26-7 (14-2 in WCC play).

As of Sunday, Saint Mary’s is ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25 Poll. The Gaels have quality wins against two NCAA Tournament-bound teams: No. 9 Gonzaga and No. 20 San Diego State.

Saint Mary’s College is located in Moraga.

This story will be updated.