WCC Basketball: 2018 conference tournament preview
By Shaun Gordon
Predicting the tournament – First two rounds
First Round
(9) Portland vs. (8) LMU
Neither team has played particularly well this year, but the Lions have a little bit of momentum, having won three out of their last five games. The Pilots, on the other hand, have dropped six straight.However, Portland has Marcus Shaver Jr. He’s right there in the mix for Newcomer of the Year and he can keep the Pilots competitive. Prediction: Portland
(10) Pepperdine vs. (7) Santa Clara
The Broncos have pretty consistently beaten the teams they should and lost to the teams better than them. They are a more talented team and that should show in Las Vegas. The Waves already know their coach Mary Wilson won’t be back next year, and it’s full-on rebuild mode for Pepperdine. Prediction: Santa Clara
Quarterfinals
(6) San Diego vs. (3) BYU
The Cougars aren’t playing good basketball right now. They’ve proven they can compete with the likes of Gonzaga and St. Mary’s, but they’ve also proven that they can lose to the worst teams in the conference as well. The Toreros play the best defense in the WCC, and that means they can hang in any game. An upset here wouldn’t be a shocker at all, but the controversy over Lamont Smith’s arrest could prove too much of a distraction. Prediction: BYU
(5) Pacific vs. (4) San Francisco
Nobody wants to play the Dons right now. They’re playing great basketball, knocking off St. Mary’s and taking BYU to overtime in Provo within the last couple of weeks. Coach Damon Stoudamire has helped turn Pacific into a threat as well. They’ve taken St. Mary’s to the wire and knocked off BYU at home. This could be one of the closest games in the tournament. Prediction: San Francisco
(9) Portland vs. (1) Gonzaga
Neither game during the regular-season was remotely close between these two teams and nothing will change in the tournament. Gonzaga is too good for this upset to happen. Prediction: Gonzaga
(7) Santa Clara vs. (2) St. Mary’s
The Broncos have KJ Feagin and if he goes off, they might have a chance to topple the Gaels. Even then, it would take an off-night from St. Mary’s. Prediction: St. Mary’s