While other conference tournaments tip off with first and second round action today, a champion will be crowned in the West Coast Conference title game on Tuesday night.
Mark Few and the AP No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs clinched a spot in the final after a 65-56 win against Oregon State yesterday.
Santa Clara pulled off the upset of No. 21 Saint Mary’s in their semifinal showing, defeating the Gaels by five points.
Few and the Bulldogs are 7.5-point favorites over the Broncos, with the Over/Under sitting at 157.5 total points.
Santa Clara vs. Gonzaga prediction, best bet
It was highly anticipated that Gonzaga would match up with Saint Mary’s once again due to the WCC’s top-heavy nature, but the Broncos decided to crash the party.
Santa Clara is playing with house money after last night’s crucial NCAA Tournament resume-building win.
The Broncos are a 3-point-reliant offense, as they lead the conference in both 3-point attempts (29.1) and 3-pointers made (10.2) per contest entering the title game.
Christian Hammond paces Santa Clara with 15.6 points per game, and Elijah Mahi follows right behind him with 14.1 points per outing.
Despite playing them close in both games, Gonzaga swept the season series against Santa Clara.
Offense was not an issue for the Broncos, as they scored 77 and 86 points, respectively; they simply had no answer for WCC Player of the Year Graham Ike.
Ike is the driving force in the Zags’ offense. The Wooden Award candidate is coming off another dominant 24-point, 11-rebound performance in the semis versus the Beavers.
Entering this title game, the Bulldogs rank 8th per KenPom with a 93.8 defensive rating after limiting Oregon State to just 34% shooting from the field.
Betting on College Basketball?
While the Broncos’ guard play and perimeter shooting can provide offensive firepower, playing three games in three straight days can overwhelm any team.
Gonzaga will have fresher legs, and the Broncos’ lack of frontcourt defense sets the stage for Ike to take over once again.
The Bulldogs also have a couple of experienced transfer portal additions in Adam Miller and Tyon Grant-Foster at their disposal.
With Few and Gonzaga making their 29th consecutive WCC Final appearance overall. I’m backing them to get the job done and secure WCC tournament championship win number 23 in the school’s history.
The Play: Gonzaga -7.5 (-110, bet365 Sportsbook)
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