Gonzaga's Mark Few on Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett: 'He's built a heck of a program down there'

'I think people are figuring out he's one of the best coaches in college basketball,' Few said

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

While Gonzaga's streak of 24 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Few brought the Bulldogs to national prominence over the last two decades, there was another West Coast Conference program down in Moraga, California, that was quietly having a renaissance moment of its own.

Saint Mary's hadn't been much of a factor in the WCC in the years leading up to Randy Bennett's arrival as head coach in April 2001, which came just weeks after the Gaels finished the 2001-02 campaign with an ugly 2-27 record. The Gaels had won the conference tournament once before in 1997, though they finished below .500 in all four seasons under Dave Bollwinkel (1997-2001).

Since Bennett took the reins, Saint Mary's has transformed into one of the most consistent programs out West. The Gaels have made 17 consecutive postseason appearances (NIT and NCAA Tournament appearances combined) and have won 25 or more games in seven of the last nine seasons heading into 2024-25.

After three straight trips to March Madness — with a potential fourth on the way later this season — there's no overlooking what Bennett has achieved in his 24 seasons at the helm.

• LIVE SCORE UPDATES, HIGHLIGHTS: GONZAGA VS. SAINT MARY'S

"They know who they are and they don't beat themselves," Few said of the Gaels following his team's triumphant 98-60 win over Oregon State on Tuesday. "It's a great recipe and Randy's figured it out. And I think people are figuring out he's one of the best coaches in college basketball, and he's built a heck of a program down there."

Some in the national media landscape still need a reminder of Bennett's resume every now and again when discussing the top coaches in the country, but Few certainly does not. There have been many memorable battles between the Zags and Gaels over the years, often involving postseason implications for both sides. They've met in the conference tournament championship final 14 times, with the Bulldogs winning 10 of those matchups, and have combined to win — or at least share — the league's regular season crown every year since 2003.

"It's fun, man, every single time we get to play a physical matchup, especially against those guys because we know what it means to us in the culture here at Gonzaga," senior forward Graham Ike said of the rivalry. "Just another matchup we look forward to."

Saint Mary's (19-3, 9-0 WCC) is No. 1 in the standings as the only unbeaten team left in league play, while Gonzaga (16-6, 7-2 WCC) is two games back in the win-loss column heading into Saturday's matchup at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California.

"Just a huge challenge," Few said of the matchup. "I mean [with Saint Mary's] it's kind of rinse, lather, repeat. It's just the same. Anytime [Bennet] has a point guard [Augustas Marciulionis] and his big [Mitchell Saxen] back, he can kind of fill in the spots. And they did a great job. They went out and got [ Paulius Murauskas] from Arizona. He's been really scoring the ball and rebounding the ball well. They've done a great job with development; Luke Barrett's scoring and shooting and gives you all those hustle plays and kind of those gritty plays."

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