NCAA men’s Tournament preview: No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt

Here is a preview of today’s NCAA Tournament first-round game in Cleveland pitting No. 7 Saint Mary’s (28-5) vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt (20-12):

STAR PLAYER

Saint Mary’s: Point guard Augustas Marciulionis repeated as the WCC player of the year and is averaging 14.3 points per game. Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington points more to 6-foot-10 center Mitchell Saxen’s interior presence and smarts as the reason Saint Mary’s is so challenging.

Vanderbilt: Junior point guard Jason Edwards averages 17 points per game and made third-team All-SEC upon transferring from North Texas. He is among 11 transfers under first-year coach Mark Byington after Jerry Stackhouse’s firing.

STORYLINES

Saint Mary’s is making its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and coach Randy Bennett is banking on those past experiences to fuel leaders Marciulionis, Saxen and Luke Barrett, all due respect to Paulius Murauskas, a sophomore transfer from Arizona who is averaging 12.4 points and eight rebounds per game.

Vanderbilt’s coach claims there’s not a more physical team in the country than Saint Mary’s, and that’s reflected in their rebounding dominance, with a NCAA-best margin of plus-10.7 per game. The Commodores’ leading rebounder is Boston College transfer Devin McGlockton (7.9 per game).

The Gaels compare Vanderbilt’s up-tempo and penetration style to those of WCC rivals Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount, who Saint Mary’s went 4-0 against this season.

The Commodores are riding a three-game losing streak. They finished in a four-way tie for ninth place in the SEC, which sent 14 of 16 teams into the NCAA Tournament.

STAT TO KNOW

Saint Mary’s is 24-0 when scoring at least 70 points, a threshold they’ve defensively kept 28 of 33 opponents from reaching (60.7 points per game; fifth in nation).

— Cam Inman