Both teams come in with top-25 defenses in the country, with the Rams yielding just 64 points per game (24th) and the Gaels allowing just 59 points per game (fifth).
despite losing to Gonzaga, 77-51, in the West Coast Conference title game last week.
The Gaels have now entered the tournament as a No. 5 seed in back-to-back years. They’ve never advanced further than they did in 2010, when they beat Richmond and Villanova on their way to the Sweet 16. And while the Gaels prefer a slower style of play, the Rams rely on an aggressive, high-energy defense that ranks in the top-20 in turnovers forced per game.“He’s seen the smoke, he’s seen the best ones, he’s seen the best guys,” Bennett said. “He knows what this means. The only thing that’ll be different for him is he hasn’t seen the NCAA Tournament. He doesn’t know all the interviews and practicing in front of the public. But he knows what it means to compete.
The Rams, who were forced to forfeit their first-round game of the NCAA Tournament in 2021 after a COVID-19 outbreak, are led by A-10 Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, junior Ace Baldwin Jr., who leads the Rams in scoring and ranks 15th in the country in assists and seventh in steals .
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