to develop into a power-level school because it has a decent student population (by WCC standards), solid basketball history, and an urban location in one of the nation's largest cities. 

I note that most Big East schools have triple or quadruple the student body size as the average WCC school AND most Big East schools are located in urban areas where basketball support - at all levels - is strong. 

While Saint Mary's College has a great basketball program, it would take some major improvement in resources and fan support to even sniff power-level basketball.