SAN MATEO, Calif. – No. 1/1 Gonzaga collected its fifth No. 1 seed since 2013 seizing the No. 1 overall national seed (West Region) in the 2022 NCAA Tournament as announced today on CBS. The Zags are one of three WCC teams to earn spots in the field of 68 as Saint Mary’s and San Francisco also had their names called on Sunday.
BYU and Santa Clara earned spots in the NIT, and Portland will participate in The Basketball Classic presented by Eracism.
Between the NCAA and NIT Tournaments, and Portland, the West Coast Conference will feature six men’s basketball teams in the postseason, the most since 2014 (2 in NCAA, 2 in NIT, 2 in CIT). This is also the third time in WCC history (2012, 2008) that three teams earned spots in the NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga will play in Portland against No. 16 seed Georgia State on Thursday. The Zags begin NCAA Tournament play after winning their 10th straight WCC regular-season title and their ninth WCC Tournament championship in the last 10 years. The Zags are 39-23 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and this year will be their 23rd consecutive appearance. Gonzaga is 57-4 since the start of the 2020-21 season.
No. 17/16 Saint Mary’s returns to the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in program history as a No. 5 seed in the East Region. SMC will face No. 12 seed either Wyoming or Indiana in Portland. The Gaels have earned spots in the bracket six times since 2010. They reached the Round of 16 in 2010, and last appeared in the tournament in 2019 as an 11 seed.
For the first time since 1998, San Francisco will be in the field of 68 as a No. 10 seed in the East Region. The Dons will face No. 7 seed Murray State in Indianapolis. This will be USF’s 17th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The Dons won back-to-back NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956. The last time USF won an NCAA Tournament game was in 1979, a 86-63 win over BYU in the second round.
BYU enters the NIT as a No. 2 seed and will face Long Beach State from the Marriott Center. Santa Clara heads to Pullman to face No. 4 seed Washington State.
The Cougars have won five of their last seven games heading into the NIT, including a win over LMU in the quarterfinals of the WCC Tournament. BYU ranks No. 31 in non-conference strength of schedule. This will be BYU’s 15th appearance in the NIT, most recently participating in 2018. The Cougars have won the NIT championship twice (1951 and 1966).
Santa Clara will be making its fifth appearance in the NIT. The Broncos advanced to the quarterfinals in their first tournament in 1984, defeating Oregon in the first round and Lamar in the second round.
SCU advanced to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament, and has won eight of its last 11 games overall. The Broncos won 20 games for the first time since 2013. The Broncos finished the regular season second in the league in scoring at 77.9 ppg, trailing only Gonzaga. Jalen Williams won the WCC scoring title at 17.9 ppg.
Portland will also be playing postseason basketball as the Pilots accepted an invitation to participate in the 32-team tournament The Basketball Classic presented by Eracism. The Pilots will host a first-round game at the Chiles Center on Saturday, March 19, at 7 p.m. against New Orleans on ESPN+.
WCC 2022 NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 17
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 Georgia State
1:15 p.m. PT (TNT)
No. 5 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 12 Indiana or Wyoming
4:20 p.m. PT (TBS)
No. 7 Murray State vs. No. 10 San Francisco
6:40 p.m. PT (CBS)
WCC 2022 NIT TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 15
No. 4 Washington State vs. Santa Clara
8:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
Wednesday, March 16
No. 2 BYU vs. Long Beach State
6:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
WCC 2022 THE BASKETBALL CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 19
Portland vs. New Orleans
7 p.m. (ESPN+)