On this week's episode of the Field of 68's West Coast Conference Insider Men's Basketball podcast, hosts Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster break down the NCAA Tournament matchups for the West Coast Conference in the first round of the tournament. For the first time since 2022 and fourth time in the history of the conference, the West Coast Conference boasts three programs in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament - No. 12-ranked Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara earned bids. The league joins the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC with at least three NCAA bids.
No. 3 seed Gonzaga will play No. 14 seed Kennesaw State in Portland, Ore. on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on TBS for its 27th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. This is the third-longest current streak in the nation. No. 7 seed Saint Mary's will go against No. 10 seed Texas A&M in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Thursday at 4:35 p.m. PT on truTV for the Gaels' fifth consecutive and 15th overall tournament appearance. No. 10 seed Santa Clara will return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996 and will face No. 7 Kentucky on Friday at 9:15 a.m. PT on CBS.
The Field of 68 Network hosts the West Coast Conference Insider podcast, featuring interviews with head coaches and student-athletes from men's basketball programs around the conference each week. Hosted by Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster, the Field of 68 is a men's college basketball-centric network of podcasts and content. As of March 2026, The Field of 68 has built a combined audience of over 268,000 followers across its primary social media platforms. It currently boasts over 150K followers on X, over 72K on YouTube and over 46K on Instagram.
Timestamps are listed below for efficient viewing:
1:20 - No. 3 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 14 seed Kennesaw State
6:00 - No. 10 seed Santa Clara vs. No. 7 seed Kentucky
"Christian Hammond has been absolutely terrific this year, one of the most underrated players, not just in the WCC, but on the West Coast and, maybe even nationally... This is a can't-miss game of the first round. In fact, probably one of the games you circle and you're like, 'I can't wait to see.'" Jeff Goodman
12:20 - No. 7 seed Saint Mary's vs. No. 10 seed Texas A&M
"Saint Mary's against Texas A&M, with the style that Saint Mary's plays, I think that they got a great draw in the first round. I feel very, very confident about them being able to beat Texas A&M, and I think that they can beat Houston" - Rob Dauster
18:10- "I think all three teams win their first game." - Jeff Goodman
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