No. 10 Vanderbilt vs No. 7 Saint Mary’s

Friday, March 21
12:15 pm PT, truTV
East Region, Cleveland

Marciulionis is the type of player who takes over the game by making all the right decisions. And when needed, he can score the ball at a consistent clip.

Complimenting him is forward Paulius Murauskas, a transfer from Arizona with the ability to stretch the floor and add a genuine second-scoring option for the Gaels.

Mitchell Saxen provides size down low but lacks verticality. He’s a solid player but if Vanderbilt has an elite athlete it could prove problematic.

Other key contributors include Luke Barrett, Mikey Lewis, and Harry Wessels.

Vanderbilt relies heavily on point guard Jason Edwards, the best player on the floor when he’s on, averaging 17 points per game.

Edwards’ biggest weakness is his physical strength, which Marciulionis might be able to exploit.

Complimenting him are guard Tyler Nickel and forward Devin McGlockton. Nickel is a threat from beyond the arc, knocking down 2.4 threes per game and averaging 10.5 points.

The Commodores are led by first-year head coach Mark Byington, who led James Madison to the second round last March.

They’re a solid-scoring team, averaging 79.6 points per game.

This is Vanderbilt’s first Tournament appearance since 2017, which could give the Gaels a psychological advantage.

Saint Mary’s is an unselfish, senior-laden squad that tends to fluster teams without an elite defender, a testament to veteran Head Coach Randy Bennett, making his 10th Big Dance appearance.

In short, Vandy doesn’t appear to have the athleticism to out-maneuver the more experienced and cohesive Gaels.

SMC moves on.