Gonzaga looks to lock up a one seed in the NCAA Tournament with a third win over Saint Mary’s. Can the Gaels steal a bid by winning the WCC Tournament Championship?
TV schedule: Tuesday, March 12, 9:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
In the first few days of the 2019 WCC Tournament, the underdogs were the headline acts. Both San Diego and Pepperdine each won three games to make it to the semifinals against top seeds Gonzaga and BYU, riding a ton of momentum.
Unfortunately for both of them, their seasons ending on Monday night. First came the Bulldogs 30-2 (16-0) crashing the Waves with a final score of 100-74. It was a balanced effort for Coach Few and Gonzaga, with eight players scoring 8+ points. Zach Norvell Jr. led the team with 18 points.
The highlight of the Bulldog’s performance was the return and play of Killian Tillie, who missed over a month of action with a foot injury. He looked fantastic, with nine points and six rebounds in 15 minutes on the court, making all three of the three-point attempts. He adds even more depth for the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
Tillie missed both games against Saint Mary’s 21-11 (11-5), who defeated the Toreros 69-62. It was a close game throughout, with the Gaels pulling ahead in the final minute of the game. The starters scored all the points for Randy Bennett’s team, led by Jordan Ford’s 21 points. But it was forward Malik Fitts who was the MVP of the game, producing 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Guard Tommy Huhse had a needed 15 points to chip in as well for the big win.
The Gaels needed this victory for their at-large hopes to stay alive. They’ve been on the wrong side of the bubble, projected around one of the “Next 4 Out”. Saint Mary’s top-40 NET ranking and solid non-conference SOS is keeping them in the discussion but the lack of marquee wins against the top teams in the country will be their undoing.
They won’t have to worry about the bubble if they can get the automatic bid versus the Bulldogs but based on the previous matchups, it’ll be a tough task. Gonzaga destroyed the Gaels by 48 points in Spokane and fell by 14 in the turnaround game in Moraga. Saint Mary’s played much better in the second battle and was down by two points at the half but couldn’t sustain their offense.
Gonzaga is clicking on all cylinders and is just one win away from essentially guaranteeing themselves the top seed in the West Region. Miracles have happened before but it won’t be that way in Vegas, with the Bulldogs comfortably getting another WCC title.