If the regular season was any indication, the West Coast Conference Championship should be a very compelling one.
Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga finished as the top two seeds in the conference. Both programs have met in the finals in the past seven years and it’s likely to be the case once again. But before we get ahead of ourselves, third-seeded BYU will definitely have a say in this as well. The Cougars have enough experience and talent on their roster to win the title.
Well ultimately, all three are the clear favorites to win this tournament and it’ll be interesting to see how things are going to unfold at the end. Keep in mind though, there’s always a possibility for some other team to seize the moment and pull off the upset.
So with all of that said, read on below for our complete breakdown of the WCC Championship. And while you’re at it, check our other tournament previews for the America East, Big South and MAAC.
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- 2016 March Madness Preview
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2016 West Coast Conference Tournament Preview
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Saint Mary’s Gaels
Both point guards have done an exceptional job in guiding the Gaels’ offense, averaging 12.1 assists combined. But there’s no question that Naar has done a better job in doing, as he also leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points a game.
As long as Naar and Rahon continue playing at a high level, the Gaels, who are the best shooting team in the nation (51.0%), are going to be very tough to defeat.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Of course, the Bulldogs are gunning for the championship as well. Their chances of winning the tournament will ultimately rely on the hands of Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis, who are putting up 20.8 and 17.2 points, respectively, this season. Those numbers alone show us why Gonzaga arguably boasts the best frontcourt in the country.
Making them even more deadly on offense is the pair of outside threats in Josh Perkins and Silas Melson.
Perkins, who is averaging 9.9 points and 4.0 assists in his rookie season, has played well enough to be included in the WCC All-Freshman team. Melson, on the other hand, has significantly improved his numbers lately, as he posted 11.0 points per contest in the month of February.
Defensively, the same could be said for the Bulldogs. They are giving up just 65.9 points this season, which is among the lowest in the nation today.
BYU Cougars
The Bears have never won the WCC championship and this year could finally be their time to do so. They’ll be led by the newly crowned WCC Player of the Year in Kyle Collinsworth. The senior guard has been doing everything for the team with ridiculous numbers of 15.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists. He has also incurred a total of five triple-doubles under his belt, the most by any player in this season.
In case you don’t know, BYU still has a lot more of offensive options to choose from. There’s the pair of Chase Fischer and Nick Emery, who are tallying 18.1 and 15.9 points respectively. And then there’s also the hardworking Kyle Davis, who is contributing 12.3 points and 7.8 rebound in his junior campaign.
Sleeper
Pepperdine Waves
If there’s any team who has the biggest chances of stealing the glory away from the aforementioned favorites, it’s the Pepperdine Waves.
The Waves, who finished fourth in the WCC standings, had a solid start in conference play. But they stumbled their way at the end by losing two of their last three regular season games.
Their chances of going deep in the conference tournament will heavily depend on the performances of Lamond Murray Jr. (16.2 PPG) and Stacy Davis (15.3 PPG). The two will really have to be at their best form in order to allow the Waves, who swept Saint Mary’s in the regular season, to compete well against much tougher foes.
Long Shot
San Diego Toreros
With the Pacific Tigers banning themselves from postseason play, it allows the San Diego Toreros to participate in the WCC Tournament despite having a miserable campaign.
The Toreros finished as the worst team in the conference with a 4-14 win-loss record. But they should be feeling a little optimistic right now thanks to a much-needed win in their regular-season finale versus Portland last Saturday night.
Starring in that game was none other than Duda Sanadze. He finished with a career-high of 38 points and helped San Diego end its six-game slide. Expect Sanadze, who is contributing 12.6 points per contest, to do everything he can to lead his team towards an upset when they take on eighth-seeded LMU in the opening round.
Writer’s Prediction
Gonzaga notches its third-straight WCC championship and also earns a ticket to the Big Dance.
Create a betting account now and start going crazy for college ball this March.
