Tuesday, March 17th, 11:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: McKeon Pavilion (3,500) -- Moraga, California. Television: ESPN2. NIT Record: Washington State 4-3, Saint Mary's 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The second-seeded Saint Mary's-CA Gaels must shake off an NCAA Tournament snub in a hurry, as they host the seventh-seeded Washington State Cougars in the first round of the 2009 NIT. A matchup with either third-seeded South Carolina or sixth-seeded Davidson awaits the winner of this game in the second round. Washington State is making its first NIT appearance in 13 years and fourth overall, as the squad is 4-3 all-time in this event. The Cougars, who earned NCAA Tournament bids in both 2007 and 2008, are making their third consecutive postseason appearance for just the second time in school history. They are a modest 17-15 overall this season and finished 8-10 versus Pac-10 opposition during the regular season. As for Saint Mary's, it has never participated in the NIT. The Gaels carry a 26-6 overall record into the event and finished 10-4 against West Coast Conference competition during the regular season. They have three First Team All-WCC performers in the fold, so there is plenty of talent for the Cougars to contend with this evening. Despite the fact that WSU and SMC are both located on the West Coast, the teams have never met on the hardwood.

Washington State is coming off a 64-53 loss to UCLA in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-10 Tournament. In that game, the Cougars connected on only 30 percent of their field goal attempts, and a much better defensive effort will be needed tonight to earn a road win. Heading into the conference tournament, the Cougars were last in the league in scoring offense, so the poor showing against the Bruins wasn't a major surprise. WSU is scoring only 59.3 ppg, but it is limiting opponents to 55.0 ppg on 38.6 percent field goal efficiency. Taylor Rochestie is netting 13.2 ppg from his point guard position, and he has more than twice as many assists as turnovers. Still, Rochestie is only shooting 39.3 percent from the floor. Klay Thompson is netting 12.7 ppg, and Aron Baynes adds 12.5 ppg and 7.4 rpg. No other player on the roster is scoring more than 6.9 ppg, so the trio has to be productive every time out.

Like Washington State, Saint Mary's relies heavily on three talented performers. It all starts with point guard Patrick Mills, who missed significant time late in the regular season because of a broken hand. Just a sophomore, Mills is averaging 17.8 ppg, and the team was 20-2 with him in the lineup, including a school-record 15-game win streak. Diamon Simpson, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, has recorded 15 double-doubles this season. He is the school's all-time leader in rebounds, blocks and steals, and he is scoring 13.8 ppg to go along with 10.5 rpg. As for Omar Samhan, he brings 14.2 ppg and 9.4 rpg to the floor, and he has blocked 64 shots this season. Samhan scored a career-high 29 points in his most recent outing to go with 12 boards, so expect him to play with a wealth of confidence tonight. Saint Mary's is generating 73.6 ppg while yielding 64.0 ppg to opponents.

Expect Saint Mary's to get the job done in front of the home crowd tonight. The Gaels undoubtedly feel that they were snubbed in regard to the NCAA Tournament, so expect to see a motivated group of Gaels.

Predicted Outcome

Saint Mary's-CA 68, Washington State 57