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College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 15

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 11, 2017; Moraga, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Silas Melson (0) drives the ball against St. Mary's Gaels guard Tanner Krebs (00) during the second half of the game at McKeon Pavilion. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the St. Mary's Gaels with a score of 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Moraga, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Silas Melson (0) drives the ball against St. Mary's Gaels guard Tanner Krebs (00) during the second half of the game at McKeon Pavilion. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the St. Mary's Gaels with a score of 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
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December 8, 2016; Moraga, CA, USA; Saint Mary's Gaels head coach Randy Bennett during the first half against the UT Arlington Mavericks at McKeon Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 8, 2016; Moraga, CA, USA; Saint Mary’s Gaels head coach Randy Bennett during the first half against the UT Arlington Mavericks at McKeon Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Saint Mary's Gaels

Last week: 21-2. 11-1 WCC
Last rank: 20

Saint Mary’s dropped both of it chances to pick up a signature win in conference play, meaning it will be stuck in the 6-7 seed range for the rest of the year.

After looking sluggish against lowly Portland on Thursday, the Gaels dropped their rematch with Gonzaga on Saturday evening with College GameDay in town in a 64-74 loss. The Bulldogs sped Saint Mary’s up in the first half, and the Gaels had no answer for the size of Przemek Karnowski or athleticism of the rest of the Gonzaga roster.

With the loss, Saint Mary’s will be one of the most controversial teams heading into March Madness, as it’s hard to gauge just how good this team is after piling up wins against a weak conference. KenPom still has the Gaels ranked 13th in adjusted efficiency with a terrific offense, and they earned a strong road win over a Dayton team that is on the fringe of the top 25 earlier in the year.

It’s worth mentioning that Saint Mary’s star Jock Landale was in foul trouble in both games against the Bulldogs, which limited the Gaels offense. Overall, Saint Mary’s has the metrics of a potential second weekend team but hasn’t quite passed the eye test to that level, and will likely be unable to rise much further in the top 25.

Losing another game would really hurt the Gaels seeding, so they will try to pick up a win against Loyola Marymount before a tricky trip to BYU on Saturday night.