Go Gaels

St. Mary's is going to the Sweet 16 after beating No. 2 seed Villanova 75-68 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in the first tournament game of the day. On national TV, the Gaels looked worthy of the spotlight, none of them more than Omar Samhan. I hate to sound like a broken record here, but damn, that kid is good.

After the game, Villanova coach Jay Wright said St. Mary's would get a lot more respect if they played on the East Coast, instead of in California. He also said they could play with anybody in the Big East. I guess we know that now.

Now the Gaels head to Houston to face the Old Dominion-Baylor winner. Samhan said his mom booked a flight to Houston on Selection Sunday, opting to skip Providence. Samhan said the way she put it was, the Gaels just had to win two games and meet her in Houston.

"I'm glad we'll be there, too, because she was going either way," Samhan said. "That's where we get our confidence from, my mom."

Samhan, who seems like a pretty funny guy, was asked where Saturday's win ranks in St. Mary's basketball history.

"You're supposed to be diplomatic with questions like this. Best win ever. Omar Samhan said best win ever," he said.