WCC Championship Game Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have dominated the West Coast Conference since just before the turn of the century. Gonzaga has now made it to the WCC Championship Game for the 26th consecutive time, and the Bulldogs have won the WCC Championship Game 19 times in this stretch. They will face a familiar foe on Tuesday night when they take on the Saint Mary's Gaels in Sin City. This will be the 11th meeting between these programs in the WCC Championship Game since 2009, and the Bulldogs are 7-3 against the Gaels in those games.

Both the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Saint Mary's Gaels have already done enough to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The winner of this game will improve their resume and should be a No. 4 seed at least in March Madness, and that would be the best placement ever for Saint Mary's. The WCC Championship Game will be played on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

WCC Championship Game Prediction

Saint Mary's was a slight favorite to win the WCC Tournament ahead of Gonzaga before the action got underway, but the Bulldogs are going to be favored over the Gaels by the CBB betting odds in the title game. These teams split their series in the regular season with Saint Mary's winning at home in overtime and Gonzaga winning at home in the regular season finale last month. They are very evenly matched, so take the points and go with the Gaels here.

Best Bet: Saint Mary's +3.5 (-110)
Score Prediction: Saint Mary's 73, Gonzaga 70

Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Odds

Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Resources

Date: Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2023
TV-Time: ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Orleans Arena
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Matchup
Expert Picks

WCC Tournament Odds

Saint Mary's Gaels Betting Stats

Saint Mary's Gaels
SU: 26-6
ATS: 18-13
O/U: 16-15
PPG: 72
OPPG: 59.6

Gonzaga Bulldogs
SU: 27-5
ATS: 13-19
O/U: 19-13
PPG: 87.8
OPPG: 73.6

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Updated on 04/16/2024

Caesars Get up to $1,000 Back in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Doesn't Win!

Bonus Code INSIDER1000 Claim Now

Must be 21+. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER

Saint Mary's Gaels Betting Analysis

The Saint Mary's Gaels have one of the best defenses in the country, and it helps that they play at an extremely slow pace. Saint Mary's is ranked seventh nationally in defense per Ken Pomeroy, and the Gaels have the fifth slowest tempo in the country according to Pomeroy. Teams are averaging an effective field goal percentage of 46.1% against Saint Mary's, and the Gaels do a superb job of not allowing second chances through offensive rebounds.

Aidan Mahaney and Alex Ducas are two of the three leading scorers on Saint Mary's, and they are both elite three-point shooters. Mahaney is tops on the team in scoring with 14.7 PPG, and he is knocking down 41.1% of his threes. Meanwhile, Ducas is averaging 12.6 PPG and hitting 42.1% of his threes.

The inside/outside game of the Gaels is pretty good too. Center Mitchell Saxen can use his size to get off quality shots and is averaging 11.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG while making 55.2% of his field goals. Kyle Bowen is on the court mostly for his defensive prowess, but he is averaging 5.4 PPG and 7.3 RPG.

Free throw shooting can be an issue for Saint Mary's though. Saxen and Bowen are both big men that struggle to hit their freebies, and Logan Johnson is only making 67.1% of his free throws too. That could be an issue late in the game if Saint Mary's has to close it out at the free throw line.

Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Analysis

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have the best offense in the country. Gonzaga ranks first in offensive efficiency per Pomeroy, and the Zags ranks second in effective field goal percentage. They make 59% of their two-point field goals to rank third nationally in that department.

Drew Timme is having another fine season for Gonzaga. Timme is leading the Bulldogs with 21.0 PPG and 7.4 RPG, and he is knocking down 62% of his field goals. He doesn't stretch the floor like a lot of big men as his three-point shooting is nonexistent, but his presence allows others to fire away. Rasir Bolton, Julian Strawther, and Malachi Smith are all making at least 40% of their threes, and this unit can attack in a varety of ways to keep defenses off balance.

Timme and Anton Watson both do a decent job of getting second chances with their rebounding, and they are both traditional big men that don't have a ton of range. Their defense hasn't been great though, and that's very good news for Saint Mary's here.