The West Coast Conference Tournament Championship Game will take place from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas tonight as the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs battle the No. 1 Saint Mary’s Gaels. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN.
The winner will receive the WCC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is familiar and expected territory for both programs as this is the seventh time in nine years that these two teams will have met in the WCC final.
We take a look at the two teams below and make a pick for the championship.
Gonzaga: 25-6 (14-2 WCC), 16 NET, 15 KenPom
Gonzaga wasn’t as dominant as it has been in recent years and was even being talked about as a bubble team late in the season. However, it is now safely in the NCAA Tournament field as it ended the regular season with a win over this same Saint Mary’s team on March 2. The Zags got to tonight’s final by burying San Francisco in an 86-68 blowout win in Monday’s semis.
Gonzaga plays at a pretty quick tempo on offensive and it has capitalized on its quick possessions by shooting 57% in eFG%. The Bulldogs have been one of the best two-point shooting teams in the country at 59% and in turn, have held opponents to just 45% in the same category.
Saint Mary’s: 25-7 (15-1 WCC), 17 NET, 21 KenPom
Saint Mary’s cruised to the WCC regular season title and is on the doorstep of its first WCC Tournament title since 2019 and fifth in program history. The Gaels were able to pull away from Santa Clara in a 79-65 victory the conference semifinals on Monday, setting up an expected showdown against the Zags in the final.
Saint Mary’s operates at the fourth-slowest tempo in the country on offense and has supplemented it on the other end with the league’s most efficient defense. The team has been an absolute menace on the boards, creating plenty of second chance opportunities with a 38.8 offensive rebound rate while limiting opponents to just 22.5% on the other end.
How to watch the CAA Tournament Championship Game
When: Tuesday, March 12, 9 p.m. ET
Where: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
TV: ESPN
Livestream: WatchESPN.com, ESPN App
Odds for WCC Tournament Championship Game from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Gonzaga -3
Moneyline: Gonzaga -170, Saint Mary’s +142
Total: 138.5
The Pick: Saint Mary’s +3
You could’ve written this championship game in chalk months ago as these two WCC powers have been on a collision course all season long. They split both games during the regular season slate, so this will be a true rubber match.
This is a true clash of styles as Gonzaga likes to speed things up while Saint Mary’s prefers to slow things down. So which team will get the upper hand? With this being a neutral site game, I’m inclined to lean defense because as the old saying goes, good defense travels. Advantage Gaels as I think they can frustrate the Bulldogs enough to grind out the championship win and cut down the nets.