Well, here’s a conference I’m a little familiar with. It’s been a heck of a year for the West Coast Conference, with Gonzaga and St. Mary’s duking it out atop the league, effectively leaving the rest of the conference — San Diego is the only other team in the conference with 10 or more league wins — in their dust. In all likelihood, both teams will find themselves in the NCAA tournament — Gonzaga enters the tournament with a 24-6 overall record; St. Mary’s clocks in at 25-5 — but winning the conference tournament couldn’t hurt either team’s first-round draw on Selection Sunday.
The tournament is also the last chance for one of the other, “forgotten” teams within the conference to keep the season alive. Of the other teams, the aforementioned third-place San Diego Toreros likely have the best chance of fitting into the proverbial glass slipper. While the Toreros have an overall record of 18-13 heading into the tournament, 11 of those wins came in West Coast Conference play, placing them just two games back of first-place Gonzaga. San Diego was also responsible for one of the two St. Mary’s setbacks in conference play — the other came during the Gaels’ season split with Gonzaga.
Still don’t think San Diego can do it? Factor in the home court advantage. Indeed, the entire West Coast Conference tournament will be hosted by the University of San Diego at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, where the Toreros have lost only one game to a conference opponent this year — a 59-55 decision against Gonzaga on February 18.
West Coast Conference Tournament
(All games hosted by the University of San Diego at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, California)
First Round — Friday, March 7
#5 San Francisco over #8 Loyola Marymount
#7 Portland over #6 Pepperdine
Quarterfinals — Saturday, March 8
#4 Santa Clara over #5 San Francisco
#3 San Diego over #7 Portland
Semifinals — Sunday, March 9
#1 Gonzaga over #4 Santa Clara
#2 St. Mary’s over #3 San Diego
West Coast Conference Championship Game – Monday, March 10
#1 Gonzaga over #2 St. Mary’s
PROJECTED WEST COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPION: #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (earn automatic berth in NCAA tournament)
REGULAR SEASON WEST COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPION: #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs
KEEP AN EYE ON: #3 San Diego Toreros
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Dio Lowhorn (San Francisco), John Bryant (Santa Clara), Brandon Johnson (San Diego), Manny Quezada (San Francisco), Diamon Simpson (St. Mary’s), Jeremy Pargo (Gonzaga), Brody Angley (Santa Clara)
