Gonzaga has dominated the West Coast Conference for most of the past two decades, but the Bulldogs didn’t end last season as king of the west.
St. Mary’s stole the crown, snapping a streak of seven straight seasons in which Gonzaga was the outright regular-season champion or shared the title. St. Mary’s also won the West Coast Conference Tournament last season, snapping the Bulldogs’ streak of four straight tournament titles.
The Gaels are expected to be in the mix for a conference title and an NCAA Tournament bid again this season, but all signs are pointing to a resurgent season for Gonzaga.
Gonzaga, which ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, was picked to win the West Coast Conference this year by the league’s coaches, earning 9-of-11 first-place votes. St. Mary’s and San Francisco each earned one first-place vote.
WCC coaches have picked Gonzaga to win the conference in six of the past seven years. Gonzaga is also the college basketball betting odds favorite to win the regular-season title on BetMGM.
WCC Basketball Odds (Regular-Season Champion)
| Team | BetMGM Odds |
| Gonzaga | -1400 |
| St. Mary’s | +1050 |
| Washington State | +3000 |
| San Francisco | +6000 |
| Oregon State | +8000 |
| Santa Clara | +8000 |
| Loyola Marymount | +25000 |
| Pacific | +25000 |
| Pepperdine | +25000 |
| Portland | +25000 |
| San Diego | +25000 |
WCC Basketball Predictions
Gonzaga and St. Mary’s are still the bells of the ball in the West Coast Conference. They’re the odds-on favorites to do battle for the regular season and tournament titles, and they’re both probably going to carry the conference’s banner into the NCAA Tournament again this year.
I think Gonzaga will ultimately win both titles. The Bulldogs, who rank No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, return four starters from last season, including leading scorer Graham Ike, who put up 16.5 points a night last year, and point guard Ryan Nembhard. The Bulldogs also added Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle, who is averaging 13.6 points and four rebounds a game.
St. Mary’s has won at least 26 games a season in each of the past three years. The Gaels lost starters Aidan Mahaney and Joshua Jefferson to the transfer portal, but reigning WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis is back and he’s leading the team with 14.6 points a night.
Gonzaga and St. Mary’s are the favorites, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to have some competition from an old foe and a couple of newcomers that joined the conference just long enough to steal its flagship program.
Three teams are undefeated in conference play so far this season: St. Mary’s (14-3, 4-0 WCC), Gonzaga (13-4, 4-0 WCC) and Washington State (13-3, 3-0 WCC). San Francisco (13-4, 3-1 WCC) and Oregon State (12-4, 2-1 WCC) are hot on their tails.
Washington State and Oregon State joined the conference this year after the old Pac-12 fell apart because of defections to the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC. They’ll play in the WCC until returning to the rebuilt Pac-12 in 2026, and Gonzaga will be going with them. The Bulldogs officially accepted an invitation to the new Pac-12 on Oct. 1, 2024.
Washington State looks like it’s the best bet to make an unexpected run at the title. The Cougars have won eight of their past nine games, including a 91-82 win over San Francisco. Washington State ranks No. 2 in the WCC with 81.6 points a game, trailing only Gonzaga, which is averaging 87.8 points a night.
