MORAGA - St. Mary's College men's basketball coach Randy Bennett always said it was just one game.
That may be true, but it appears last week's stunner against West Coast Conference power Gonzaga is quickly turning into much more.
After knocking off the then-No. 11 Zags 89-81 at McKeon Pavilion on Saturday, the Gaels are getting plenty of recognition.
St. Mary's (14-4) received votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls, which were released Monday. The Gaels and Southern Illinois each got four votes in the AP poll and received 12 votes in the USA Today/ESPN poll, along with Notre Dame.
"I guess that's what happens when you beat Gonzaga," Bennett said. "It's a nice bonus, but that's not what it's all about."
St. Mary's has a long way to go before cracking the top 25. It took 85 votes to put Oklahoma in the No. 25 spot this week.
The Gaels have been absent from the national rankings since the 1988-89 season. They went 25-5 that year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, losing to Clemson in the first round and ending the season ranked No. 20 in the AP poll.
The attention doesn't end there. Senior shooting guard Paul Marigney was named the Player of the Week by ESPN.com after his lights-out effort against Gonzaga. Marigney was 9 of 19 from the floor and hit seven 3-pointers, including four of his first five, before finishing with a game-high 30 points.
Sports Illustrated even came calling.
"To us, it's not all that surprising," senior forward Jonathan Sanders said. "I think we're over it, but everyone on campus is talking about it. You hear the same thing from everyone you pass by. Even people I've never seen before know me."
It's easy to become a popular guy on campus given what Sanders and the Gaels did Saturday. After seven years of frustration, they finally got the best of the Zags, a team that beat them 17 consecutive times. Not only that, but they also got their first victory over a ranked team in over three decades.
It was a major accomplishment for the program. Even Bennett couldn't keep from popping the tape in the VCR and taking a second look.
"It's a fun game to watch," he said. "Especially if you know the outcome."
While the win is still fresh in their minds, the focus has shifted to a new team. St. Mary's puts its eight-game win streak on the line tonight with a nonconference game against Air Force.
"I'm not concerned about a letdown. I'm just concerned with who we play," Bennett said. "This is a really tough team to play, especially now. This is a team you need to prepare for. I think our guys will be ready. I think they're mature like that."
The Falcons are nothing like the Zags. They run a slow-it-down, Princeton-style offense, which places little emphasis on transition and more on intricate half-court sets loaded with backdoor cuts.
"If they stop you on defense, you have to think about it for 40 seconds because they're going to slow it up so much," Sanders said. "They're really sophisticated. I don't think we've ever had to go this in-depth with scouting."
That may be true, but it appears last week's stunner against West Coast Conference power Gonzaga is quickly turning into much more.
After knocking off the then-No. 11 Zags 89-81 at McKeon Pavilion on Saturday, the Gaels are getting plenty of recognition.
St. Mary's (14-4) received votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls, which were released Monday. The Gaels and Southern Illinois each got four votes in the AP poll and received 12 votes in the USA Today/ESPN poll, along with Notre Dame.
"I guess that's what happens when you beat Gonzaga," Bennett said. "It's a nice bonus, but that's not what it's all about."
St. Mary's has a long way to go before cracking the top 25. It took 85 votes to put Oklahoma in the No. 25 spot this week.
The Gaels have been absent from the national rankings since the 1988-89 season. They went 25-5 that year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, losing to Clemson in the first round and ending the season ranked No. 20 in the AP poll.
The attention doesn't end there. Senior shooting guard Paul Marigney was named the Player of the Week by ESPN.com after his lights-out effort against Gonzaga. Marigney was 9 of 19 from the floor and hit seven 3-pointers, including four of his first five, before finishing with a game-high 30 points.
Sports Illustrated even came calling.
"To us, it's not all that surprising," senior forward Jonathan Sanders said. "I think we're over it, but everyone on campus is talking about it. You hear the same thing from everyone you pass by. Even people I've never seen before know me."
It's easy to become a popular guy on campus given what Sanders and the Gaels did Saturday. After seven years of frustration, they finally got the best of the Zags, a team that beat them 17 consecutive times. Not only that, but they also got their first victory over a ranked team in over three decades.
It was a major accomplishment for the program. Even Bennett couldn't keep from popping the tape in the VCR and taking a second look.
"It's a fun game to watch," he said. "Especially if you know the outcome."
While the win is still fresh in their minds, the focus has shifted to a new team. St. Mary's puts its eight-game win streak on the line tonight with a nonconference game against Air Force.
"I'm not concerned about a letdown. I'm just concerned with who we play," Bennett said. "This is a really tough team to play, especially now. This is a team you need to prepare for. I think our guys will be ready. I think they're mature like that."
The Falcons are nothing like the Zags. They run a slow-it-down, Princeton-style offense, which places little emphasis on transition and more on intricate half-court sets loaded with backdoor cuts.
"If they stop you on defense, you have to think about it for 40 seconds because they're going to slow it up so much," Sanders said. "They're really sophisticated. I don't think we've ever had to go this in-depth with scouting."
