By Jeff Faraudo
#WCChoops columnist | ARCHIVES
 
UCU WCC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | MEN’S BRACKET | WOMEN’S BRACKET
 
The Gonzaga women won’t arrive at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas sweating out a potential berth in the NCAA Tournament. That is virtually assured for the 18th-ranked Zags, who have climbed to No. 16 in the all-important NET computer ratings.
 
But Gonzaga still will bring plenty of motivation to the University Credit Union West Coast Conference Tournament after losing to Portland in the 2020 semifinals. The Pilots went to capture the WCC crown, but neither team played beyond that after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Zags, armed with the current and year-old WCC Players of the Year — Jenn Wirth and Jill Townsend — are the favorites, although BYU handed them their only conference defeat last month.
 
San Diego, whose attacking defense would have made the Toreros the No. 4 seed, had to withdraw because of a COVID positive test within the program. So, the field involves just nine teams this year.
 
The tournament gets underway with two early-round women’s games on Thursday. Gonzaga and BYU don’t check in until the semifinals on Monday. The championship game is set for Tuesday afternoon.
 
Here is a rundown of each WCC squad headed to Vegas, in order of their tournament seeding based on Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted winning percentage formula:
 
 
1. GONZAGA (21-3, 16-1)
The skinny: The Zags are coming off their fifth straight WCC regular-season title, another championship run built on offensive balance and tough defense. Gonzaga scores more points, gives up fewer and shoots better than any team in the conference. Seniors Jenn Wirth (13.2 points, 8.4 rebounds) and Jill Townsend (13.8) both earned first-team All-WCC honors for a second straight season, and this year Townsend handed off her Player of the Year award to Wirth, who shared it with BYU’s Shaylee Gonzales.
Who’s hot: The Zags’ defense. Since Gonzaga suffered its lone WCC defeat, its past three opponents have averaged just 45.0 points on 30 percent shooting and have more turnovers (58) than baskets (45).
Key stat: Gonzaga is an elite rebounding team, boasting a plus-13.75 margin that leads the WCC by nearly 10 per game and ranks No. 4 nationally.
Title chances: After being upset in the tournament semifinals a year ago there is added motivation for the Zags to get it done this time. This senior class posted a regular-season conference record of 66-5 over four seasons, so all things point to a victory in Vegas.
 
2. BYU (17-4, 13-3)
The skinny: The Cougars own the lone conference victory over Gonzaga and are led by a potent threesome. Shaylee Gonzales is second in the WCC in scoring (18.5) and shares WCC Player of the Year honors. Lauren Gustin is third in the nation in rebounding (12.9) and Paisley Harding (13.7 points) joins those two on the All-WCC team.
Who’s hot: Harding has ratcheted her scoring to 16.9 points over the past eight games and had a 10-assist game last week. Sounds like a senior ready for the postseason.
Key stat: This is BYU’s 10th season in the WCC, and the Cougars are three wins shy (in a shortened schedule) from reaching 20 victories for the eighth time in that span under WCC Coach of the Year Jeff Judkins.
Title chances: The Cougars are coming off a 14-point road loss to USF but that doesn’t suggest anything is awry here. BYU won eight in a row before that, including its conquest of Gonzaga. This team is NCAA tournament-bound regardless of what happens in Vegas, but the Cougars are a legit contender to take the WCC crown.
 
3. USF (14-9, 10-7)
The skinny: Seeded ninth at the 2020 WCC tournament, the Dons have made a remarkable transformation in a year. They have won nine of their past 10 games, including an 86-72 win over BYU on Saturday, powered by a free-wheeling offense that has averaged nearly 79 points over the past seven.
Who’s hot: Redshirt freshman guard Ioanna Krimili, who was off to a spectacular start a year ago before a season-ending injury, has scored 20 points or more 12 times this year, including in each of the past two games. She leads the WCC in scoring (18.7 points), free-throw accuracy (90.4%) and 3-point shooting (46.0%).
Key stat: Ninety-percent of USF’s scoring has come from 11 international players from nine different countries. That group is led by Krimili of Greece, Lucie Hoskova of the Czech Republic, Amalie Langer of Denmark and Marta Galic of Croatia. 
Title chances: The Dons have won seven road games this season — more than the past two seasons combined. So playing in Vegas shouldn’t bother them. But USF likely will have to beat BYU again in the semifinals before facing top-seeded Gonzaga in the title game. Even for a team that’s come so far, that’s a steep climb.
 
4. SANTA CLARA (13-10, 9-8)
The skinny: Without a headliner and challenged by severe county health and safety restrictions in the COVID-19 era, the Broncos quietly climbed to the No. 4 seed. No aspect of coach Bill Carr’s squad is extraordinary but the team is solid, especially on defense. Senior Merle Wiehl (10.7 points) and junior Lindsey VanAllen(12.4 points) earned second-team All-WCC honors.
Who’s hot: Wiehl, a 6-foot-1 forward from Gottingen, Germany, has scored double digits in eight of her past nine games, averaging 13.3 points over that stretch. 
Key stat: The Broncos know how to win the close ones, posting a 4-1 record in WCC games settled by five points or fewer.
Title chances: Yes, Santa Clara has fared well in tight games. Problem is, the Broncos haven’t been close in two tries vs. Gonzaga, losing by 19 and 17 points. The Zags loom in the semifinals.
 
5. PORTLAND (12-11, 9-8)
The skinny: Surprise champion at last year’s WCC tournament, the Pilots have shown glimpses of that form but have not been able to play at a consistently high level this season. Junior guard Haylee Andrews (16.6 points, WCC-leading 6.1 assists) and sophomore forward Alex Fowler (16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds) both are first-team All-WCC selections. But Portland is just 6-8 after a 3-0 start to conference play. 
Who’s hot: Andrews has been on fire, averaging 19.9 points and 6.8 assists over the past 11 games. She’s topped 20 points four times during that run, with a career-high 31 on Saturday against Pepperdine.
Key stat: The Pilots rank ninth in the WCC in scoring defense (70.4 points) and last in both field-goal percentage defense (47.1) and 3-point defense (35.7). Those are issues. 
Title chances: Portland made a magical run to the WCC tournament crown last year after being picked last in the preseason coaches poll. They weren’t able to make their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1997 because the event was called off due to COVID. The Pilots won’t have element of surprise this time but if they can tighten their defense, perhaps they can throw a scare into the field.
 
6. PACIFIC (11-10, 9-9)
The skinny: The Tigers arrive in Las Vegas having won five in a row, three of them by five points or fewer. Led by seniors Valerie Higgins and Brooklyn McDavid, Pacific had its first four games this season canceled, then opened the season at home as Stanford as legendary Tara VanDerveer passed Pat Summitt as the winningest women’s coach in history. 
Who’s hot: Three-time All-WCC selection Higgins has helped spearhead the Tigers’ five-game win streak, averaging 19.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 5.2 steals while shooting 58 percent from the field and 93 percent from the free-throw line over that stretch.
Key stat: Higgins won conference Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time in three seasons after finishing second in the WCC in rebounding (9.5) and first in steals (3.67). The versatile senior has 275 steals in three seasons with the Tigers, including 25 games with at least five thefts.
Title chances: The Tigers’ five-game win streak includes a pair of wins over third-place San Diego. UOP couldn’t get closer than 13 points in any of its four games against top seeds Gonzaga and BYU.
 
7. SAINT MARY’S (6-18, 4-14)
The skinny: The Gaels were thrown a curveball well before the season started when All-WCC forward Sam Simons opted to remain in Australia rather than face risks of the pandemic. They were further hindered by injuries. Their conference schedule included a three-game win streak in a span of six days in January, but otherwise netted just a single victory.
Who’s hot: Junior guard Taycee Wedin, the team’s 3-point specialist, is shooting 46 percent from deep over the past five games while scoring at a 14.0 points per game clip.
Key stat: The Gaels have issues at both ends of the floor. Their offense is hampered by a WCC-worst 19.75 turnovers per game and their defense ranks 10th in the conference, allowing more than 72 points per game.
Title chances: There is little to suggest the Gaels are ready to make a surprise run here. They won just one of their final nine regular-season games, and the average margin of the eight defeats was more than 16 points.
 
8. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (5-18, 4-14)
The skinny: The Lions opened the WCC season with a narrow 65-62 loss to Gonzaga. They were 4-3 after beating Pacific by 10 points on Jan. 21, but LMU has not won since, dropping its past 11 games.  
Who’s hot: Junior guard Ariel Johnson, a second-team All-WCC pick, averaged 11.8 points through the Lions’ first 16 games, but has boosted that to 15.9 points over her past seven outings. 
Key stat: The Lions are shooting just 36 percent from the field during their 11-game drought and only once during that stretch have reached 41 percent.
Title chances: Tough to generate much hope for a team that went 0-for-February.
 
9. PEPPERDINE (5-17, 2-16)
The skinny: A year after going 16-15 overall and 8-10 in conference play, the Waves regressed. They began the season 3-0 and have won just twice since Dec. 12. They opened the WCC schedule with 12 consecutive setbacks, then managed home victories vs. Loyola Marymount and Saint Mary’s over the past six outings.
Who’s hot: Senior forward Monique Andriuolo of Melbourne, Australia posted four double-doubles in WCC play, including a 20-point, 10-rebound effort in Pepperdine’s overtime loss at Portland on Saturday.
Key stat: The Waves are the WCC’s lowest-scoring team (58.1 points), partly because they have made fewer 3-point baskets (89) than any team in the league.
Title chances: The rebuild continues for second-year coach Kristen Dowling.