SMC Basketball: Shamrock Classic Championship Game Preview!

Donning a green uniform, Brad Waldow helped the Gaels defeat Damian Lillard and Weber State in the 2011 edition of the Shamrock Classic

The Shamrock Classic used to be a tournament hosted by Saint Mary’s around the time of Thanksgiving, but the last two years it has been simply a non-conference game on the schedule. Last year, the Gaels memorably defeated Harvard when Mitchell Young hit two free throws with over a second left to give Saint Mary’s a 70-69 win. This year, the Gaels will face a long-awaited match up with the Murray State Racers. For those that don’t remember, Murray State defeated Saint Mary’s in the 2012 Bracketbuster in the biggest game played ever in Murray State history. For the rematch, the Racers return a total of ZERO players from that game as well as a 2-4 record, coming on the heels of an 80-62 home loss to Middle Tennessee State. While this young Racers team was picked to challenge Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference, they have a lot of work cut out for them.

All in all, this is another chance for the Gaels to improve. In the last two games, Saint Mary’s was up 39-23  and 52-28 before beating Drake and Alcorn State 67-63 and 72-55 respectively. The Gaels have established that they are a good team. They are 19th in the nation with 1.169 points per possession and are 31st in opponents points per game. They are 22nd in three-point defense, so they aren’t being beat with the three-ball. All they need to do is just to play their game for 40 minutes, and they will be successful. In fact, if there is anything I’m looking forward to tomorrow is to see if the Gaels are able to play consistently for 40 minutes. Including Murray State, they have two games before starting a stretch of 7/8 games away from home, that includes visits to Boise State and Gonzaga (as well as a three game tournament in Hawaii). The Dec. 18th date in Boise is approaching, and at that point Saint Mary’s can really pop up on the national radar as not only a WCC contender, but a team to watch out for come March.

As far as facing Murray State, the Racers are a young and hungry team, looking for a kick start to their season. Forward Jarvis Williams, who is averaging 13.8 ppg and 10.7 rpg will be a good test for the Gaels front court. The Gaels will most likely shut down guard Dexter Fields, so if the Racers have any chance of winning this game, Williams will have to have a strong game.