SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are once again the top two seeds in the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship after they shared the regular season title. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed and the Gaels are the No. 2 seed. Santa Clara checks in as the No. 3 seed as the Broncos look to add to their season resume in Las Vegas this week.
The winner of the tournament will receive the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament. The Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship runs from March 5-10 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
Gonzaga, Saint Mary's And Santa Clara Stand Tall In NET And WAB
Three West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams rank in the top 41 in the latest NET rankings - No. 6 Gonzaga, No. 21 Saint Mary’s and No. 41 Santa Clara. In addition, these same teams stand inside the top 41 in the latest WAB rankings - No. 16 Gonzaga, No. 23 Saint Mary’s and No. 41 Santa Clara. The West Coast Conference ranks No. 8 among conferences in the latest KenPom rankings.
In The Polls
Gonzaga is ranked No. 12 in both national polls, while Saint Mary’s is ranked No. 21 in both polls and Santa Clara is receiving votes in the AP poll.
National Broadcasts
Both quarterfinal games of the West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 8, will be on ESPN2 featuring No. 4 seed Oregon State at 5:30 p.m. and No. 3 seed Santa Clara at 8 p.m. On Monday, March 9, the first semifinal game featuring No. 1 seed Gonzaga will be on ESPN at 6 p.m. The second semifinal game featuring No. 2 seed Saint Mary’s will be seen on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. The championship game on Tuesday, March 11, can be seen on ESPN at 6 p.m. All other tournament games can be seen on ESPN+.
More Notes From Around The Coast
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s have faced each other in the West Coast Conference Basketball Championship final 13 times since 2009. The Bulldogs have defeated the Gaels in five of the last six finals.
The West Coast Conference has garnered six USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honorees, surpassing its 2024-25 season total (4). Graham Ike has earned the recognition twice, while Braden Huff (Gonzaga), Paulius Murauskas (Saint Mary’s), Mikey Lewis (Saint Mary’s) and Joel Foxwell (Portland) have also been recognized.
National honors candidate and West Coast Conference Player of the Year Graham Ike from top-seeded Gonzaga paced the conference in scoring in overall games (19.7) and in conference games (21.9). His 13 double-doubles lead the West Coast Conference and rank tied for 17th in the nation. Ike scored 30 points three times this season, including scoring 35 of his team’s 81 points in a victory at Oregon State.
West Coast Conference Freshman and Sixth Man of the Year Allen Graves of Santa Clara and Tyon Grant-Foster both rank in the top 20 nationally in bench points - Graves is No. 13 (11.6) and Grant-Foster is No. 19 (10.8). As a team, Gonzaga ranks No. 4 nationally in bench points (35.1).
No. 3 seed Santa Clara’s 24 wins tied for the third most wins in a season in program history. The 15 wins in conference play set a program record. The Broncos have won seven combined Quad 1 and 2 games this season, including a victory over Co-West Coast Conference regular season champion Saint Mary’s. In conference games, Santa Clara ranks No. 5 in scoring offense (87.2 ppg). Five of the Broncos’ seven losses are Quad 1 losses.
No. 2 seed Saint Mary’s leads the conference in scoring defense (64.2) and ranks seventh in the nation in that category. The Gaels held Santa Clara to 67 points and Gonzaga to 59 points last week. The Gaels are the only team to hold Santa Clara to fewer than 70 points since Dec. 17. Gonzaga also stands in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense at 66.3 ppg.
Since the start of the 2004-05 season, Saint Mary’s owns a .752 winning percentage. Only Gonzaga, Duke and Kansas own better winning percentages during that span.
Portland’s Joel Foxwell leads all freshmen nationally and the conference in assists (6.5). The all-conference first team honoree has also reached double figures in scoring in his last five games, including scoring 35 points against Pepperdine on Feb. 18. The Pilots and Waves will meet again in a first-round game on Thursday.
Oregon State is the No. 4 seed in the tournament after winning three of its last five, including a 90-63 win at San Francisco. Josiah Lake II made the all-conference first team after averaging 13.1 ppg and leading the Beavers with 127 assists.