Gonzaga Heavy WCC Tournament Favorite

Gonzaga will probably end up being the biggest favorite to win its conference tournament. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the country, and the WCC Tournament gives the top teams huge advantages. The top two teams (Gonzaga and Santa Clara) receive triple byes directly into the semifinals. No. 3 seed Santa Clara and No. 4 seed San Francisco receive double byes into the quarterfinals, and No. 5 seed BYU and No. 6 seed Portland receive a single bye into the second round in this gauntlet-style format.

The 2022 WCC Tournament will be held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first round, second round, and quarterfinals will be held March 3-5, and the semifinals and finals will be March 7-8.

2022 West Coast Conference Tournament

• Gonzaga -400
• St. Mary’s +400
• Santa Clara +1500
• San Francisco +2500
• BYU +3000
• Portland +30000
• Loyola Marymount +30000
• San Diego +50000
• Pacific +50000
• Pepperdine +50000

Odds Provided by DraftKings - Subject to Change

A national championship continues to be elusive for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have won the WCC Tournament in eight of the last nine years though, as their supremacy in this conference remains unchallenged.

Gonzaga has two Wooden Award contenders in Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme. Holmgren and Timme have been two of the best players in the country this season, and they have helped make the Zags the third-most efficient offense in the country per Ken Pomeroy. They also lead the nation in defensive effective field goal percentage, and their interior defense has been incredible.

St. Mary’s should have secured itself a bid in the NCAA Tournament with a win over Gonzaga in its regular season finale. The Gaels beat the Zags 67-57 in Moraga, as they held this offense to just 36.7% shooting from the floor. This defense is elite once again under Randy Bennett, and the offense does just enough to win games.

The Gaels are the best bet to win the WCC at 4-1. They have defeated Gonzaga already this season, and they benefit greatly from having the triple bye. Additionally, the tournament bracket works out in their favor as the Gaels will likely meet Santa Clara in the semifinals, while the Bulldogs will almost certainly face a tougher opponent in either San Francisco or BYU.

San Francisco and BYU are fringe tournament teams that need to make the semifinals of the WCC Tournament to feel confident about their March Madness dreams. The Dons have an excellent profile though, and their success against good teams this year makes them a tempting pick at 20-1. San Francisco has two Quad 1 wins and six Quad 2 wins this season, and they knocked off BYU in Provo by 14 points last month.