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Grand Canyon University Athletics
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GCU gets No. 12 seed, faces Saint Mary's at NCAAs
3/17/2024 5:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes garner their highest seed, face WCC champion in Spokane on Friday
LAS VEGAS – Grand Canyon's earned respect came to fruition Sunday when a night of joy turned to an afternoon of tension in awaiting its NCAA tournament fate.
Watching on a big screen in its hotel ballroom, the Lopes waited until the second half of the bracket unveiling for the players to see the program's best seed in three Big Dance visits since 2021 – a West Region No. 12 seed to play No. 5 Saint Mary's (26-7) on Friday night in Spokane, Washington.
The 7:05 p.m. game will be broadcast on TruTV with the winner advancing to play Sunday against the winner of No. 4 seed Alabama (21-11) vs. No. 13 seed Charleston (27-7).
"I'm very thankful for where we are and nice to be on the West Coast so hopefully, we can get a bunch of fans to travel and be there," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said.
GCU was a No. 15 seed for its first NCAA Division I tournament visit in head coach Bryce Drew's first season and returned last year as a No. 14 seed. Those were a pair of 12-point losses to Iowa and Gonzaga, but these Lopes (29-4) have a rotation of players who have NCAA tournament experience.
GCU also had CBS analyst Seth Davis picking it to beat West Coast champion Saint Mary's on the NCAA Selection Show, only to follow with a Sweet 16 prediction for the Lopes.
"It's cool to get a little bit of the flowers and the recognition that GCU has been trying to build," GCU graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan said. "I'm just thankful to be a part of it. This train was moving regardless of me."
The Gaels, who were the No. 20 overall seed, are making their third consecutive NCAA tournament trip for the first time. Saint Mary's ranks first nationally in rebound margin (plus-12.0 per game), second in points allowed per game (58.7) and eighth in opponent field goal percentage (39.5%).
The Lopes, tied with Purdue for the nation's fifth-best winning percentage, were seeded No. 47 overall in the 68-team field.
"It was so exciting," Drew said after inching up in his seat with every reveal. "You work so hard. You have people who have never been in the tournament to people who have experienced it. They get that same feeling back or greater. Sometimes you don't know how good it is until you actually get there and then it makes you more motivated to get back."
Against common opponents, GCU went 3-0 and Saint Mary's was 4-1. The Gaels swept conference series against San Francisco and Portland, teams that the Lopes beat off campus at Valley events. On Nov. 17 in Las Vegas, Saint Mary's was routed 79-54 by San Diego State, a team the Lopes knocked off 79-73 at home when the Aztecs were ranked 25th nationally on Dec. 5.
"This feeling is crazy just to be back here again, especially with this group of guys," said WAC Player of the Year Tyon Grant-Foster, who played in 11 minutes in two 2021 NCAA tournament appearances for Kansas.
"We said at the beginning of the year that we were going to shock the world and that's what we've been doing all year, so we're going to keep doing that one game at a time."
The Gaels began the season 3-5 but have gone 23-2 since then and won the WCC regular-season and tournament championships. A week prior to GCU winning the WAC Tournament on Saturday at Orleans Arena, Saint Mary's claimed the WCC Tournament title by beating Gonzaga for the second time in three meetings.
"They execute," Drew said. "They value possessions. They're really solid on defense. They don't give you anything and rebound the ball well."
WCC Player of the Year Augustus Marciulionis, also the WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, is a 6-foot-4 junior guard who averages 12.4 points and 5.2 assists per game. The Lithuanian is the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis.
He forms a strong backcourt with 6-foot-3 sophomore Aidan Mahaney, who scores 13.9 points per game and shoots 36% from 3-point range. The Gaels have a quality interior presence in 6-foot-10, 241-pound senior Mitchell Saxen, who averages 11.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. He is 14th nationally with 3.7 offensive rebounds per game.
Randy Bennett, the Saint Mary's head coach for 23 years, is a Mesa, Arizona, native who played at Westwood High School and Mesa Community College, where his father, Tom, coached for 19 years. GCU President Brian Mueller and his family are friends with the Bennetts.
"Coach Bennett's a Hall of Fame coach," Drew said. "It's been amazing what he's accomplished in his coaching career. What you most respect is how he does it. His team play with a lot of character. They play basketball the right way. You can tell the culture is strong there."
McGlothan is the only Lope who has played in two NCAA tournaments but has a special feeling about his third and final trip. A season that started with an opener against the program where he played as a freshman, Southeast Missouri, is ended with a connection to the Bennetts.
Randy Bennett's father, Tom, coached McGlothan's Basha High School coach, Michael Grothuas, at Gilbert High School and imparted lessons that developed Grothaus' character to become a father figure to McGlothan. They hoped to get McGlothan to Saint Mary's, but he was not recruited there.
"I wasn't good enough, but now we're up here playing on this stage," McGlothan said. "Sometimes, you have to look like it like it's not a coincidence. That's why I feel like God's written all over this. I'm super-excited about what's to come.
"I think a lot of it comes from our team, who we are and knowing the heart we have for each other."
Watching on a big screen in its hotel ballroom, the Lopes waited until the second half of the bracket unveiling for the players to see the program's best seed in three Big Dance visits since 2021 – a West Region No. 12 seed to play No. 5 Saint Mary's (26-7) on Friday night in Spokane, Washington.
The 7:05 p.m. game will be broadcast on TruTV with the winner advancing to play Sunday against the winner of No. 4 seed Alabama (21-11) vs. No. 13 seed Charleston (27-7).
"I'm very thankful for where we are and nice to be on the West Coast so hopefully, we can get a bunch of fans to travel and be there," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said.
GCU was a No. 15 seed for its first NCAA Division I tournament visit in head coach Bryce Drew's first season and returned last year as a No. 14 seed. Those were a pair of 12-point losses to Iowa and Gonzaga, but these Lopes (29-4) have a rotation of players who have NCAA tournament experience.GCU also had CBS analyst Seth Davis picking it to beat West Coast champion Saint Mary's on the NCAA Selection Show, only to follow with a Sweet 16 prediction for the Lopes.
"It's cool to get a little bit of the flowers and the recognition that GCU has been trying to build," GCU graduate power forward Gabe McGlothan said. "I'm just thankful to be a part of it. This train was moving regardless of me."
The Gaels, who were the No. 20 overall seed, are making their third consecutive NCAA tournament trip for the first time. Saint Mary's ranks first nationally in rebound margin (plus-12.0 per game), second in points allowed per game (58.7) and eighth in opponent field goal percentage (39.5%).
The Lopes, tied with Purdue for the nation's fifth-best winning percentage, were seeded No. 47 overall in the 68-team field.
"It was so exciting," Drew said after inching up in his seat with every reveal. "You work so hard. You have people who have never been in the tournament to people who have experienced it. They get that same feeling back or greater. Sometimes you don't know how good it is until you actually get there and then it makes you more motivated to get back."Against common opponents, GCU went 3-0 and Saint Mary's was 4-1. The Gaels swept conference series against San Francisco and Portland, teams that the Lopes beat off campus at Valley events. On Nov. 17 in Las Vegas, Saint Mary's was routed 79-54 by San Diego State, a team the Lopes knocked off 79-73 at home when the Aztecs were ranked 25th nationally on Dec. 5.
"This feeling is crazy just to be back here again, especially with this group of guys," said WAC Player of the Year Tyon Grant-Foster, who played in 11 minutes in two 2021 NCAA tournament appearances for Kansas.
"We said at the beginning of the year that we were going to shock the world and that's what we've been doing all year, so we're going to keep doing that one game at a time."
The Gaels began the season 3-5 but have gone 23-2 since then and won the WCC regular-season and tournament championships. A week prior to GCU winning the WAC Tournament on Saturday at Orleans Arena, Saint Mary's claimed the WCC Tournament title by beating Gonzaga for the second time in three meetings.
"They execute," Drew said. "They value possessions. They're really solid on defense. They don't give you anything and rebound the ball well."
WCC Player of the Year Augustus Marciulionis, also the WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, is a 6-foot-4 junior guard who averages 12.4 points and 5.2 assists per game. The Lithuanian is the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis.
He forms a strong backcourt with 6-foot-3 sophomore Aidan Mahaney, who scores 13.9 points per game and shoots 36% from 3-point range. The Gaels have a quality interior presence in 6-foot-10, 241-pound senior Mitchell Saxen, who averages 11.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. He is 14th nationally with 3.7 offensive rebounds per game.
Randy Bennett, the Saint Mary's head coach for 23 years, is a Mesa, Arizona, native who played at Westwood High School and Mesa Community College, where his father, Tom, coached for 19 years. GCU President Brian Mueller and his family are friends with the Bennetts.
"Coach Bennett's a Hall of Fame coach," Drew said. "It's been amazing what he's accomplished in his coaching career. What you most respect is how he does it. His team play with a lot of character. They play basketball the right way. You can tell the culture is strong there."
McGlothan is the only Lope who has played in two NCAA tournaments but has a special feeling about his third and final trip. A season that started with an opener against the program where he played as a freshman, Southeast Missouri, is ended with a connection to the Bennetts.
Randy Bennett's father, Tom, coached McGlothan's Basha High School coach, Michael Grothuas, at Gilbert High School and imparted lessons that developed Grothaus' character to become a father figure to McGlothan. They hoped to get McGlothan to Saint Mary's, but he was not recruited there.
"I wasn't good enough, but now we're up here playing on this stage," McGlothan said. "Sometimes, you have to look like it like it's not a coincidence. That's why I feel like God's written all over this. I'm super-excited about what's to come.
"I think a lot of it comes from our team, who we are and knowing the heart we have for each other."
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