(Providence, Rhode Island)

Hundreds of St. Mary's Gaels fans remain in Providence for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, following the Gaels' 80-71 upset victory over Richmond on Thursday.

St. Mary's was a little slow to start, but then #50, Omar Samhan, took control, scoring our first 10 points. (Samhan is shown above in the photo of the opening tip-off.)
Gael fans here report getting asked two questions a lot: 1) What is a Gael? And 2) Where is St. Mary's College of California?

Here are the answers: Gael is short for Gaelic, or as many here say: "What do the Irish speak?" Notre Dame may be the "Fightin' Irish," but St. Mary's has the "Fightin' Gaels!"

And, St. Mary's College is located up in the beautiful hills of Moraga, California, just a few miles east of Oakland and not too much farther from San Francisco. As a doctoral student there, I can attest to it's being a gorgeous campus and a great academic institution--not to mention an up-and-coming basketball powerhouse!

The Gaels play Villanova at 1 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday at "The Dunk," in Providence. Check your local CBS listings for broadcast information.

Today I interviewed Gaels fans Ron and Katie Koontz and Jennifer Nash, who are all in Providence from Concord, California. They were having breakfast at "Donna's Grille on the Hill" in the historic Federal Hill District of Providence. Their story will air tonight at 4 p.m. on ABC 6 "First at Four," as well as in some of our other newscasts.

Check out: www.ABC6.com.

"Go Gaels!"