Busting Brackets
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Bracketology Losers: Temple, Utah State and Virginia Tech falls this week

By Tristan Freeman

BLACKSBURG, VA - DECEMBER 05: Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Buzz Williams reacts in the first half of the game against the VMI Keydets at Cassell Coliseum on December 5, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - DECEMBER 05: Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Buzz Williams reacts in the first half of the game against the VMI Keydets at Cassell Coliseum on December 5, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 06: A logo for the West Coast Conference basketball tournament is shown on the court before the championship game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 06: A logo for the West Coast Conference basketball tournament is shown on the court before the championship game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

WCC’s hopes at multiple bids

When the first set of top-16 seeds were revealed this weekend, Gonzaga was listed as a No. 1 seed in the West Region. But with teams from the SEC and Big Ten nipping at their heels, the Bulldogs will likely have to win out in conference play to stay there.

They certainly did that this past week, destroying two of the top teams in the WCC by a combined 78 points at home. The odds of Gonzaga losing a game in league play and in the conference tournament are incredibly low at this point. Problem is that the Bulldog’s greatness comes at a cost to the rest of the WCC.

The two teams that Gonzaga pummeled this week are San Francisco and Saint Mary’s, the two other WCC programs with any hope at an at-large bid. The Gaels were already creeping out of the bubble picture with 10 total losses and little quality wins to speak of and outside of a home game against Gonzaga, don’t have any other chances at a signature win.

San Francisco’s resume is better than Saint Mary’s but they don’t have another opportunity for another quality win after losing to the Bulldogs twice already. The Dons have a chance to run the table and rack up more wins but traps lie ahead that could take them out of the picture altogether.

Overall, it’s been a great year for the WCC. They won the head-to-head battle with the Pac-12, 10-7 and has been viewed as the top conference out west this season. But unfortunately, the end result will likely be the same with the WCC being a one-bid league again.

Unless of course one of them beats Gonzaga in Vegas, which is next to impossible to do.

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