Busting Brackets
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WCC Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

By Connor Gilbert

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 18: Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs goes to basket against Jake Toolson #5 of the BYU Cougars in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center on January 18, 2020 in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga defeats BYU 92-69. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 18: Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs goes to basket against Jake Toolson #5 of the BYU Cougars in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center on January 18, 2020 in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga defeats BYU 92-69. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /
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WCC Basketball
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 05: TJ Haws #30 of the Brigham Young Cougars drives to the basket against Jordan Ford #30 of the Saint Mary’s Gaels (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

WCC Basketball has enjoyed a strong year as a mid-major in a chaotic college landscape this year. Which of the top three — or beyond — can pull it out in Vegas?

The West Coast Conference has been a surprising story this year, developing into arguably one of the deepest mid-major conferences in the country after a mild down year last year. That means that this year’s WCC Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas could be one of the most interesting in recent memory, so buckle up.

Beyond the usual top three of Gonzaga (Kenpom No. 2, 29-2) BYU (Kenpom No. 11, 24-7) and Saint Mary’s (Kenpom No. 36, 24-7), Pacific has enjoyed a resurgent year and USF has shown promise under first-year coach Todd Golden. This is the first time ever that the WCC has had five 20-win teams in the regular season, and San Diego could join them as the sixth if they win their first game Thursday.

But to be realistic, this year’s conference tourney is likely still a tale of those top three teams. For the first time in a few years, GU, BYU and SMC are all projected to make the field of 68, and the Gaels and Cougars both have chances to boost their resumes with a pair of wins against legitimate tournament teams should they win the championship.

This is also the second year that the league’s top two teams receive triple byes, which in this year’s case means BYU and GU are automatically in the semifinals. Unfortunately for SMC, the Gaels will have to win an extra game in order to face BYU before potentially getting the Zags. Everything seems to be building towards a rematch of two of the nation’s most high-powered offenses in BYU and GU. Can the Cougars go for another upset?

Down the bracket, we see some potential matchups made more interesting by the WCC’s altered scheduling. There are teams like USD and USF as well as Pepperdine and SMC that have only played each other once early on in the season.

Among those down-bracket teams, Pacific and USF are nothing to scoff at either. They’ve played solid teams tough throughout the year and could be primed for some bid thievery should they get some momentum early on. For the first time in a long while, the WCC is anything but predictable.