SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – No. 9 Gonzaga and No. 16 Saint Mary's received bids into the 2023 NCAA Tournament as announced today on CBS. The Bulldogs earned the automatic qualifier after defeating the Gaels in the championship game of the 2023 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament last Tuesday.  
 
The WCC has been a multi-bid league in the NCAA Tournament every year since 2019, excluding 2020 when there was no NCAA Tournament played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the WCC has been a multi-bid league 10 times since 2010. Last year, the WCC earned three bids for the first time since 2012. 
 
No. 3 seed Gonzaga will play in Denver against No. 14 seed Grand Canyon on Friday. The Zags begin NCAA Tournament play after winning their 11th straight outright or shared WCC regular-season title and their 10th WCC Tournament championship in the last 11 years. The Zags are 41-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and this year will be their 24th consecutive appearance. Gonzaga reached the regional semifinals last season. This will be the first all-time meeting between Gonzaga and GCU. 
 
No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s returns to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history after reaching the second round last season. SMC will face No. 12 seed VCU in Albany, NY. The Gaels have earned spots in the bracket seven times since 2010. SMC and VCU are no strangers to meeting in the NCAA Tournament. They competed against each other in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, and the Gaels won, 85-77. 

In addition, Santa Clara will represent the WCC in the NIT Tournament, hosting No. 2 seed Sam Houston State in the first round at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. That game can be seen on ESPN+. 
 
2023 NCAA Tournament Schedule
No. 5 seed Saint Mary's vs. No. 12 seed VCU
Friday, March 17, at 11:00 a.m. PT on TBS in Albany, NY
No. 3 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 14 seed Grand Canyon
Friday, March 17, at 4:35 p.m. PT on Tru TV in Denver, Colo.