Gonzaga Nation

Gonzaga Bulldogs favored to win West Coast Conference Tournament

Zags have betting edge over regular-season champion Saint Mary’s

Bernie Wilson

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (13).
Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (13). / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford
In this story:

It’s time for the West Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament, otherwise known as the almost-annual March showdown between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Saint Mary’s Gaels.

The best rivalry on the West Coast will play out again next Tuesday night at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, barring upsets in the semifinal round, of course. 

While Saint Mary’s swept the regular-season series to win the title and earn the No. 1 seed, the oddsmakers favor the second-seeded Zags to win the tournament championship and the WCC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Saint Mary’s (27-4, 17-1) and Gonzaga (23-8, 14-4) have earned quadruple byes into the semifinals next Monday night. All 11 teams will participate this year and the tournament starts Thursday with No. 10 seed Pacific facing No. 11 San Diego. 

After a loss to Saint Mary’s in the home finale on Feb. 22 put the Zags on the NCAA bubble, they responded with two Quad 1 blowouts in five nights in the Bay Area, at Santa Clara and against San Francisco at the Chase Center. 

“I think we locked one up for sure,” star point guard Ryan Nembhard said of what will be Gonzaga’s 26th straight invitation to March Madness.

But they don’t want to leave their fate to the selection committee.

“We’re going down there to win it,” Ben Gregg said after his big night against the Dons.

Can anyone unseat Gonzaga or Saint Mary's?

Either Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s have won every WCC conference tournament since 2009, with the Zags claiming 12 titles and the Gaels four, including last year’s title after a 69-60 victory. They have faced each other 12 times during that 16-season stretch, with the Zags winning eight of those. The Gaels won last year’s title by beating the Zags 69-60.

The only other team to play for the championship in that span was BYU, which bolted for the Big 12 in 2023. The last team other than Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s to win the WCC tournament was San Diego back in 2008.

Gonzaga has favorable draw

Saint Mary’s anchors the upper half of the bracket while the Zags anchor the bottom half. The three teams that beat Gonzaga during the regular season — No. 5 Oregon State, No. 4 Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s — are lined up in the upper half of the bracket. No. 8 Portland and No. 9 Pepperdine face off in the second round on Friday, with the winner advancing to face Oregon State.

The Pacific-San Diego winner will face No. 7 LMU in the second round. No. 6 Washington State and No. 3 San Francisco round out the bottom half of the bracket. 

Santa Clara bounce-back game

The Zags never had the lead in their loss to Saint Mary’s on Feb. 22 and the postgame mood was gloomy. But then Nembhard said, unprompted, that there was still a lot to play for, and he delivered. He put up 15 assists in a 95-76 win at Santa Clara to break the WCC’s single-season record and then dished 16 times in the win against San Francisco to tie Blake Stepp’s single-game Gonzaga record.

Ismaila Diagne, a 7-foot freshman from Senegal, had a breakout game against Santa Clara and Gregg had 23 against the Dons to come within one of his career high. Nolan Hickman, Graham Ike and Khalif Battle continue to play at a high level.

WCC Tournament odds, predictions

FanDuel Sportsbook on Tuesday listed the Zags as -155 favorites to win the tournament and had the Gaels at +155.

ESPN insiders Joe Lunardi and Jeff Borzello are picking the Zags to win the tournament while Myron Medcalf is going with the Gaels.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Continue to follow our Gonzaga coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Instagram and Twitter.

Published
Bernie Wilson
BERNIE WILSON

Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He remains well-versed on teams that play in the WCC, Pac-12 and Mountain West. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.

Home/Basketball