Busting Brackets
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WCC Basketball: Gonzaga heavy favorite, BYU a contender in 2019 tournament

By Brayley Crowe

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) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 05: A logo for the West Coast Conference basketball tournament is shown on a screen during a semifinal game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Saint Mary’s Gaels at the Orleans Arena on March 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars won 85-72. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 05: A logo for the West Coast Conference basketball tournament is shown on a screen during a semifinal game between the Brigham Young Cougars and the Saint Mary’s Gaels at the Orleans Arena on March 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars won 85-72. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Tournament Predictions – Semifinals and Finals

Semifinals

(1) Gonzaga vs. (4) San Francisco

The immovable object in the West Coast Conference has been unmoved once again this season. The Zags cruised through the 16-game slate with ease, while doing so with absurd margins. The only team many picked to topple the Bulldogs was the Dons of San Francisco, and for most of the first meeting, this seemed very real. Then Gonzaga did what makes it one of the NCAA Tournament favorites; score. Even with Ferrari’s 21-point outing, the Zags won by 13 in the end.

Unfortunately for USF, this theme will likely happen again if this meeting occurs. The Bulldogs just have too many scoring options, with four players averaging 11 points or more. The Zags average 89.8 ppg and 53.4% from field goal, both the highest in the nation. With all this offensive firepower, its hard to imagine the Dons will upset the Bulldogs, let alone many other teams.

Prediction: Gonzaga

(2) Saint Mary’s vs. (3) BYU

In the two meetings between these teams this season, they each have won the home showing. Both finished conference play 11-5, with Saint Mary’s taking the No. 2 seed due to its wins over the next highest teams in the WCC standings. Between Jordan Ford and Yoeli Childs, the two highest scoring players in the conference perform, with 21.5 ppg each. While the Cougars get the nod in points per game with 79.7, the Gaels’ defense has the upper hand over that of BYU, allowing just 65 ppg.

In all, what will make or break this game is the history of these two teams in the conference tournament. The Cougars defeated the Gaels in the same game last season, knocking Randy Bennett’s team from the NCAA Tournament. With this in mind, Saint Mary’s will win a close one, reaping revenge and making for another classic Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s WCC Tournament Final.

Prediction: Saint Mary’s

(1) Gonzaga vs. (2) Saint Mary’s

Regarded by some as the best rivalry on the West Coast, these two have met in five of the last eight WCC Tournament Finals. However, this season, the high-powered Bulldogs have handled their biggest foes with relative ease, winning 94-46 in the first match and a much closer 69-55 in the second.

Both these teams rank in the top 25 of Kenpom offenses, with the Zags sitting at No. 1 (an absurd 127.6 points in adjusted offense), while the Gaels sit at No. 21, with 115 points. While offense has clearly been helpful for the Bulldogs in the two meetings thus far, defense has truly won them the game. Saint Mary’s has shot just 33.2% from the field in the two meetings, and the blocking phenom that is Brandon Clarke has denied seven shots in the two meetings.

Next. Ranking all 32 conference tournaments. dark

As I said for the game against San Francisco, even a stellar performance from the Gaels’ star player, Jordan Ford, most likely will not be enough to overcome the No. 1 team in the land.

Prediction: Gonzaga