What’s at stake for Gonzaga in regular-season finale against Saint Mary’s

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs wrapped up an undefeated season at home on Wednesday night, blasting the Portland Pilots, 89-48, behind strong performances from seniors Graham Ike and Tyon Grant-Foster.

The win guaranteed Gonzaga at least a share of the league title, and the No. 1 seed in the WCC Tournament, heading into the regular season finale on Saturday against Saint Mary's.

Gonzaga (28-2, 16-1) would claim the regular season title outright with a win over Saint Mary's (26-4, 15-2), but a loss would drop them into a tie with the Gaels. The first tiebreaker to determine conference tournament seeding is head to head, which would also be a tie in the case of a Gaels win.

In that case it would go to each team's record against the next best team in the conference, Santa Clara. Gonzaga swept the Broncos this season while Saint Mary's split 1-1, giving Gonzaga the top seed regardless.

So even though Gonzaga's standing in the WCC Tournament is unaffected by the result in Moraga on Saturday, the Zags won't be taking this game lightly.

For starters, it's a rivalry game in a hostile road environment, with pride, bragging rights, and a longstanding history between these two teams on the line. It's also the last regular season matchup between these two programs before Gonzaga's move to the new look Pac-12 in the 2026-27 season, which will end what has been one of the most entertaining series in college hoops over the past 20 years. Neither team wants to lose the final matchup before the door closes on this historic rivalry.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15). | Photo by Myk Crawford

And of course, Gonzaga's potential seed in the NCAA Tournament is at stake. The Zags are routinely projected as a No. 3 seed in Bracketology reports, often lining up in Portland. With just two losses and a solid 6-1 record in Quad 1 games, Gonzaga could make a push for a No. 2 seed if they get a big Quad 1 road win against the Gaels, while also winning both games in the WCC Tournament. Finishing 31-2, and 8-1 in Quad 1, would be a hard resume to ignore, even if one of Gonzaga's losses is Quad 3 to Portland and the other is a 40 point blowout against Michigan.

A loss to Saint Mary's wouldn't be catastrophic for Gonzaga, especially since it doesn't impact WCC Tournament seeding, although it all but eliminates the chance for a No. 2 seed in the big dance - and puts the Zags in danger of dropping to a No. 4 seed.

With the No. 1 seeds all looking incredibly strong this year, the difference between a No. 3 and No. 4 seed is mighty significant - which adds to the stakes for Saturday's tilt in Moraga.

There's plenty to play for on the SMC side of things, first and foremost a chance to share the regular season title with Gonzaga - which would mark their fourth consecutive first place finish in the league.

Saint Mary's Gaels head coach Randy Bennett (left) and Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few (right). | Photo by Myk Crawford

The Gaels are also 0-3 in Quad 1 games right now, with the team's neutral site win over Virginia Tech dropping to Quad 2 on Thursday. A win over Gonzaga would give them their best win of the season, and could push them up from the dreaded 8-9 seed range into a far more comfortable No. 7 seed.

Pride, history, seeding, and the end of an era make Saturday's matchup one of the most exciting regular season games of the college basketball season, and everyone will want to be dialed in to ESPN on Saturday at 7:30 PM when this game gets underway.

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