No. 9 Gonzaga already clinched the No. 1 seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament, and it has a chance to clinch at least a share of the regular-season championship at Saint Mary’s tonight.
If the Bulldogs win tonight’s game in Moraga, California, they’ll win the regular-season title outright for the first time since 2021-22. If the Gaels pull out a win, Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga will share the championship. The Zags beat Saint Mary’s, 73-65, on Jan. 31.
Saint Mary’s has won the regular-season championship outright the past two seasons, and the Gaels shared it with the Zags in 2022-23. Gonzaga was picked to win the conference in the preseason, and the Bulldogs are more motivated than ever to claim the crown in their final season in the WCC. They will join Boise State, San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, Washington State, and Texas State in the new Pac-12 later this year.
Gonzaga (28-2, 16-1 WCC) rolls into tonight’s showdown on a six-game winning streak, and the Bulldogs have held all but one of those teams to fewer than 63 points. The lone outlier was a 94-86 win at Santa Clara, which currently sits in third place in the conference.
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The Bulldogs finished the regular season 14-0 at the McCarthy Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington, with a 89-48 win over Portland on Wednesday. They matched their season-high with 14 3-pointers, dished out 25 assists, and forced 22 turnovers.
Six-foot-9 forward Graham Ike racked up 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven steals, continuing a stellar redshirt senior campaign that will almost surely earn him the WCC Player of the Year Award. His streak of seven consecutive games with at least 20 points came to an end on Wednesday, but Ike leads the WCC with 19.8 points a night and 13 double-doubles. He’s the only active player in the country with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.
Saint Mary’s (26-4, 15-2 WCC) has won seven-straight games, including an 86-67 win over Santa Clara on Wednesday. The victory kept the Gaels undefeated at home. They’re 16-0 at University Credit Union Pavilion heading into tonight’s regular-season finale, and they’ve won 25 straight home games, dating back to last season.
Sophomore guard Mikey Lewis led the Gaels with 21 points against Santa Clara, while three of his teammates finished with double-doubles. Six-foot-8 junior Paulius Murauskas racked up 16 points and 11 rebounds, 6-foot-7 freshman Dillan Shaw added 11 points and 14 rebounds, and 7-foot-1, 280-pound senior Harry Wessels chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Murauskas, who is just 10 points shy of 1,000 for his career, leads the Gaels with 18.9 points a game and is No. 2 on the team with 7.7 rebounds a night. He has seven double-doubles on his resume this season.
Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s Odds
Gonzaga is a 1.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 143.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -140 for the Bulldogs and +115 for Saint Mary’s.
Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s on TV
The West Coast Conference game featuring Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s will be televised on ESPN.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s Prediction
I predict Gonzaga wins 76-73.
The Bulldogs and Gaels are very similar teams. They’re both averaging more than 80 points a game and giving up fewer than 67. Neither turns the ball over very often, and both have lineups powered by big, physical frontcourts.
The Gaels have four players who average more than five rebounds a game, led by 7-foot-3 sophomore Andrew McKeever, a part-time starter, who leads the team with 9.2 boards a night. Ike leads Gonzaga’s rebounders, but 6-foot-7 Grand Canyon transfer Tyon Grant-Foster and 6-foot-5 junior Emmanuel Innocenti can hold their own in the paint. Colgate transfer Braeden Smith has also emerged as one of the Zags’ top scorers, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.
Ike is what separates these two talented teams. He’s an elite scorer and rebounder, and he’s just as elite on defense. He’s an NBA-caliber talent, and there aren’t many teams in the country that can contain him.
