It has been a two-horse race to crown the West Coast Conference men’s basketball regular-season champion for the better part of two decades, and that isn’t likely to change in the league’s final season in its current configuration.
Gonzaga is joining Oregon State, Washington State, San Diego State, Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and Texas State in the new Pac-12 next season.
The Bulldogs have won at least a share of the WCC regular-season title 24 times since 1998, including 11 consecutive seasons between 2013 and 2023. They’ve also won the WCC Tournament title 21 times since 1999. They clinched the tournament title last season with a 58-51 win over Saint Mary’s.
The Gaels have been pushing Gonzaga for the title of the WCC’s flagship program in recent years. Saint Mary’s has won the regular-season title the past two seasons, and the Gaels shared it with the Bulldogs in 2023. Saint Mary’s has won at least a share of the championship six times since 2011 and claimed the WCC Tournament championship four times since 2010.
Saint Mary’s (17-2, 6-0) and Gonzaga (17-1, 5-0) sit atop the WCC standings again this year, with the Gaels holding a razor-thin advantage. The programs haven’t met this season, but they’re scheduled to play in Spokane, Washington, on Jan. 31. Saint Mary’s will host the Bulldogs in the regular-season finale on Feb. 28. The WCC Tournament is scheduled for March 5-10 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Santa Clara (14-5, 5-1) is currently sitting in third place in the conference, followed by Washington State (8-10, 3-2) and San Francisco (12-8, 4-3).
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WCC Basketball Odds (Regular-Season Champion)
Saint Mary’s is the college basketball betting odds favorite to win the WCC regular-season championship on BetMGM at -750. Gonzaga isn’t far behind at +500. Here’s a look at how the odds break down.
Saint Mary’s -750
Gonzaga +500
Santa Clara +2200
San Francisco +25000
Loyola Marymount +25000
Pacific +40000
Oregon State +50000
Washington State +50000
Seattle +50000
Pepperdine +50000
Portland +50000
San Diego +50000
Odds as of Jan. 14
WCC Basketball Predictions
I predict Gonzaga wins the WCC regular-season championship and makes a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
There’s no question that the Bulldogs and Saint Mary’s have been the class of the conference for a long time, and they’re almost certainly going to battle for the title again this year. I just think Gonzaga has too much firepower and experience for the Gaels this year.
The Bulldogs are led by one of the top trios in the country. Graham Ike is a two-time first-team All-WCC player, and he made the All-Mountain West team while he was with Wyoming. The 6-foot-9 graduate student is putting up 17.8 points and 8.6 rebounds a game this season, and 6-foot-10 redshirt junior Braden Huff is chipping in with 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds a night.
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Gonzaga also added Grand Canyon transfer Tyon Grant-Foster this year. He was Grand Canyon’s leading scorer and earned Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors last season. The 6-foot-7 graduate student is averaging 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds a night this season, and he leads the Bulldogs with 23 blocked shots.
Saint Mary’s also has an experienced lineup, led by 6-foot-8 junior Paulius Murauskas, who leads the WCC with 19.6 points a game. He started every game last season. Mikey Lewis is now a full-time starter after earning WCC Sixth Man of the Year honors last season. Guard Joshua Dent is No. 3 in the conference with 97 assists, and 7-foot-3 center Andrew McKeever leads the league with 9.6 rebounds a game. Both came off the bench for the Gaels last season.
The difference from last season is that Saint Mary’s doesn’t have two-time WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis, and the Gaels aren’t quite as dominant a rebounding team this year. Gonzaga leads the WCC with 42.9 rebounds a night. Saint Mary’s is No. 2 with 39.5.
If Ike, Huff, and Grant-Foster keep playing the way they are, it’s hard to imagine Gonzaga not riding off into the sunset with one more WCC regular-season title.
