The rivalry that has blossomed between West Coast Conference heavyweights No. 12 Gonzaga and No. 21 Saint Mary’s is over for now.
The top-seeded Bulldogs and second-seeded Gaels will not face one another in the WCC Tournament championship game for the fifth year in a row after Saint Mary’s was upset, 76-71, by No. 3 Santa Clara on Monday.
Instead, Gonzaga (29-3, 16-2 WCC) will take on Santa Clara (26-7, 15-3) tonight as the Zags try to win their 23rd WCC Tournament title since 1995. They’ve won it 20 times since head coach Mark Few was hired in 1999.
Santa Clara hasn’t won the WCC Tournament since 1993.
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s have dominated the league for the past couple of decades. The Bulldogs or Gaels have won at least a share of the past 26 WCC regular-season titles, and one of the two has won the conference tournament 17 years in a row.
Saint Mary’s is one of the few WCC teams that’s been successful against the Zags. The Gaels have won five of their past eight games against Gonzaga, including a 70-59 win in the regular-season finale on Saturday. Many people assumed the rivals would play again in tonight’s championship. Instead, the programs will most likely go their separate ways later this year.
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Gonzaga will join Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State, Colorado State, and Texas State in the new Pac-12 in July. There have been rumors that Saint Mary’s may get an invitation from the league, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Saint Mary’s dominated its semifinal against Santa Clara on paper. The Gaels outrebounded the Broncos by double digits, shot 44 percent from the floor, had two players score more than 20 points, and a third player with a double-double.
The Gaels led with a little more than two minutes left in regulation, but Santa Clara knocked down two of its 11 3-pointers to regain the lead for good. The Broncos shot 44% from 3-point range and 48% from the floor, led by redshirt freshman Sash Gavalyugov, who came off the bench to go 5-for-9 from beyond the arc and lead the team with 23 points.
Six-foot-7 forward Elijah Mahi added 19 points and seven rebounds for the Broncos, while WCC Freshman and Sixth Man of the Year Allen Graves chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds. Six-foot-4 sophomore Christian Hammond, who leads Santa Clara and ranks No. 5 in the WCC with 15.6 points a game, finished with just seven points against Saint Mary’s.
Gonzaga advanced to the WCC Tournament finals for the 29th consecutive season with a 65-56 win over No. 4 Oregon State on Monday. The Zags led by as many as 18 points, while the Beavers shot just 34% from the floor and 24% from 3-point range. WCC Player of the Year Graham Ike led the Bulldogs with 24 points and 11 rebounds. It was his 14th double-double of the season. He leads the conference with 19.9 points a game and ranks No. 2 in the league with 8.4 rebounds a night.
Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara Odds
Gonzaga is a 7.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is at 157.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -350 for the Bulldogs and +275 for Santa Clara.
Gonzaga swept Santa Clara in the regular season, winning 89-77 on Jan. 8 and 94-86 on Feb. 14.
Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara On TV
The West Coast Conference Tournament championship game between Gonzaga and Santa Clara will be televised on ESPN.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara Prediction
I predict Gonzaga wins 82-70.
The Bulldogs have to be feeling some sense of relief that they don’t have to face Saint Mary’s again. The Gaels’ sheer size and physicality made them a tough matchup for any team.
Santa Clara has a high-powered offense that ranks No. 2 in the WCC with 83.5 points a game, but the Broncos are going to have to stay hot from 3-point range because they won’t be able to compete with Gonzaga in the paint. The Zags average 40.1 rebounds a game, while Santa Clara is averaging 35.5.
Look for Ike to have a big game in his final WCC Tournament championship game. He’ll get some help from 6-foot-7 Grand Canyon transfer Tyon Grant-Foster and 6-foot-7 senior Jalen Warley.
