WCC Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview and predictions

PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 09: Anton Watson #22, Drew Timme #2, Joel Ayayi #11, Jalen Suggs #1, Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs walk back to the court after a timeout during the first half against the Portland Pilots at Chiles Center on January 09, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) /

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WCC Basketball Colbey Ross Pepperdine Waves (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) /

Key Teams

The favorite going into the tournament to know surprise is Gonzaga. The Zags are the first team since the 2014-2015 season to finish the regular season undefeated. They won only one game the whole season by single-digits as well.

The team that could give them the biggest scare is the BYU Cougars. BYU is currently 22nd on Kenpom and lost their previous two matchups 86-69 and 82-71. They are the 2nd best team in the conference and have the most realistic shot of beating them.

A dark horse team would probably be Saint Mary’s. This Gaels team is less talented than they have been in the past but still plays under a great coach in Randy Bennett. Pepperdine is a very talented team and is led by future NBA draft pick Kessler Edwards and Colby Ross, but I don’t trust their coaching staff and the rest of their roster to make a run.

Outside of BYU, every other team to compete with Gonzaga has to slow the game down, pound the ball inside, get back on defense to limit transition points, and pack it in defensively. It’s easier said than done but those are the keys to beat the Zags.

Outside of the Cougars, every other team has to be able to execute that for 40 minutes against Gonzaga. Santa Clara was able to do that for about 30. LMU and Saint Mary’s did it for about 15 minutes and all three teams still lost in double figures