At first glance, the West Coast Conference looks to be a two-bid conference this season when it comes to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. As the conference tournament beckons a pair of teams are ranked in the Top 25: Gonzaga, who check in as the 19th-ranked team in the nation and St. Mary’s, who are ranked 23rd but will be the top seed in the WCC tournament thanks to their conference record. Gonzaga enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed.
But the beauty of March is that there are some teams lurking that could pop some bubbles with a deep run in Las Vegas over the next week.
We can start with Gonzaga, who enter the conference tournament with a 24-6 record that includes come quality victories, such as a win in their season finale against St. Mary’s, and a win over Kentucky in Lexington back on February 10. Gonzaga also played a pair of potential No. 1 seeds, with losses to Purdue (by 10 back on November 20) and Connecticut (by 13 back on December 15). The Zags are led by a pair of big men in Graham Ike and Anton Watson, who average 16.9 ppg and 14.2 ppg, respectively.
The Gaels, who finished with a 24-7 overall record, were one game away from an unblemished conference record entering their final regular-season game, but a loss to Gonzaga dropped them to 15-1 in the conference. The Gaels are led by a pair of guards in Augustas Marciulionis and Aidan Mahaney. Mahaney averaged 13.7 ppg this season while shooting 35% from three-point land, while Marciulionis averaged 12.4 ppg while also hitting from deep at a 35% clip.
If there is a team lurking, it could very well be San Francisco. The Dons, who are the No. 3 seed in the WCC tournament. San Francisco lost three of their last four games — including losses to both St. Mary’s and Gonzaga — but they do have a quality win over Minnesota on their resume, and enter the tournament ranked 71st in Ken Pomeroy’s Adjusted Efficiency Margin.
2024 men’s West Coast Conference tournament bracket
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You can view the entire WCC bracket at the conference tournament website. Full odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook.
2023 men’s West Coast Conference tournament schedule
March 7 First Round
Game 1: No. 8 Pepperdine 102, No. 9 Pacific 43
March 8 Second Round
Game 2: No. 5 San Diego 57, No. 8 Pepperdine 52
Game 3: No. 6 Portland 78, No. 7 LMU 70
March 9 Quarterfinals
Game 4: No. 4 Santa Clara 104, No. 5 San Diego 79
Game 5: No. 3 San Francisco 72, No. 6 Portland 51
March 11 Semifinals
Game 6: No. 1 Saint Mary’s 79, No. 4 Santa Clara 65
Game 7: No. 2 Gonzaga 89, No. 3 San Francisco 77
March 12 Championship
Game 8: No. 1 Saint Mary’s 69, No. 2 Gonzaga 60
