West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament
The West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament is the annual concluding tournament for the NCAA college basketball in the West Coast Conference (WCC). The winner of the tournament each year is guaranteed a place in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament for that season. Through 2008, the tournament was played on a rotating basis at the home courts of member teams. The 2009 edition was the first played at a neutral site, namely Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. The semifinals are broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and the championship is broadcast nationally on ESPN.
West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | |
---|---|
Conference basketball championship | |
Sport | College basketball |
Conference | West Coast Conference |
Number of teams | 10 |
Format | Single-elimination tournament |
Current stadium | Orleans Arena |
Current location | Paradise, Nevada |
Played | 1987–present |
Last contest | 2024 |
Current champion | Saint Mary's Gaels |
Most championships | Gonzaga Bulldogs (21) |
TV partner(s) | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ |
Official website | WCCsports.com |
The tournament has used several formats in its history, though seeding in all formats has been based strictly on conference record (with tiebreakers used as needed). When the tournament began in 1987, when the conference had eight members, it used a standard single-elimination bracket that was reseeded after the first round so that the highest and lowest remaining seeds played one another in the semifinals. Beginning in 2003, the bottom four seeds played first-round games (5 vs. 8, 6 vs. 7), with the 3 and 4 seeds receiving byes to the quarterfinals and the top two seeds receiving byes to the semifinals. For the 2012 tournament, the first after the 2011 arrival of BYU in the WCC, this format was adjusted so that the 8 and 9 seeds played in the first round, with the winner joining the 5 through 7 seeds in the second round, and the top four seeds continuing to receive byes into the quarterfinals (3 and 4) or semifinals (1 and 2). In addition, reseeding was abolished, with the top seed automatically playing the winner of the quarterfinal game featuring the 4 seed and the 2 seed automatically playing the winner of the quarterfinal game featuring the 3 seed.
Beginning in 2014, the WCC adopted a new format to incorporate a tenth team (Pacific). The new format is a traditional 10-team tournament. Seeds 1-6 received a bye into the quarterfinals while 7 played 10 and 8 played 9 in the first round. The second round featured the winner of the 7/10 match playing the 2-seed while the winner of the 8/9 match played the 1 seed. The 3 seed played the 6 seed and the 4 seed played the 5 seed. In 2014, the first-round games aired on BYUtv Sports. The afternoon quarterfinal games aired on BYUtv, and the evening quarterfinals were on ESPN2. One semifinal aired on ESPN and the other on ESPN2, and the championship game was carried by ESPN.
For 2019 and beyond, the tournament returned to a format similar to that used from 2003–2011, with slight changes to the terminology used for the rounds prior to the semifinals. The 7 through 10 seeds play in what is now called the "opening round", the 5 and 6 seeds start play in the "second round", and the 3 and 4 seeds start in the "third round". The top two seeds receive byes into the semifinals.[1] According to media reports, the major impetus for this and other changes to WCC basketball was the potential loss of Gonzaga to the Mountain West Conference after the 2017–18 season, which in the end did not happen.[2]
List of finals
Year | Champion | Score | Opponent | Venue | Tournament MVP | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Santa Clara | 77–65 | Pepperdine | War Memorial Gymnasium (San Francisco, California) |
Jens Gordon, Santa Clara | |
1988 | Loyola Marymount | 104–96 | Santa Clara | Toso Pavilion (Santa Clara, California) |
Hank Gathers, Loyola Marymount | |
1989 | Loyola Marymount | 75–70 (OT) | Santa Clara | War Memorial Gymnasium (San Francisco, California) |
Hank Gathers, Loyola Marymount | |
1990 | None | None | None | Gersten Pavilion, (Los Angeles, California) | None | Tournament canceled due to the death of Hank Gathers. Having won the regular season title, Loyola Marymount was awarded the WCC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.[3] |
1991 | Pepperdine | 71–68 (OT) | Saint Mary's | Toso Pavilion (Santa Clara, California) |
Geoff Lear, Pepperdine | |
1992 | Pepperdine | 73–70 | Gonzaga | Chiles Center (Portland, Oregon) |
Doug Christie, Pepperdine | |
1993 | Santa Clara | 73–63 | Pepperdine | War Memorial Gymnasium (San Francisco, California) | Steve Nash, Santa Clara | |
1994 | Pepperdine | 56–53 | San Diego | Toso Pavilion (Santa Clara, California) |
Dana Jones, Pepperdine | |
1995 | Gonzaga | 80–67 | Portland | John Rillie, Gonzaga | ||
1996 | Portland | 76–68 | Gonzaga | Kweemada King, Portland | ||
1997 | Saint Mary's | 66–59 | San Francisco | Gersten Pavilion, (Los Angeles, California) |
Brad Millard, Saint Mary's | |
1998 | San Francisco | 80–67 | Gonzaga | Toso Pavilion (Santa Clara, California) |
Hakeem Ward, San Francisco | |
1999 | Gonzaga | 91–62 | Santa Clara | Matt Santangelo, Gonzaga | ||
2000 | Gonzaga | 69–65 (OT) | Pepperdine | Casey Calvary, Gonzaga | ||
2001 | Gonzaga | 80–77 | Santa Clara | Jenny Craig Pavilion (San Diego, California) |
Dan Dickau, Gonzaga | |
2002 | Gonzaga | 96–90 | Pepperdine | Dan Dickau, Gonzaga [4] | ||
2003 | San Diego | 72–63 | Gonzaga | Jason Keep, San Diego [5] | ||
2004 | Gonzaga | 84–71 | Saint Mary's | Leavey Center (Santa Clara, California) |
Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga [6] | |
2005 | Gonzaga | 80–67 | Saint Mary's | Adam Morrison, Gonzaga [7] | ||
2006 | Gonzaga | 68–67 | Loyola Marymount | McCarthey Athletic Center (Spokane, Washington) |
Adam Morrison, Gonzaga [8] | |
2007 | Gonzaga | 77–68 | Santa Clara | Chiles Center (Portland, Oregon) |
Derek Raivio, Gonzaga [9] | |
2008 | San Diego | 69–62 | Gonzaga | Jenny Craig Pavilion (San Diego, California) | Brandon Johnson, San Diego [10] | |
2009 | Gonzaga | 83–58 | Saint Mary's | Orleans Arena (Paradise, Nevada) [11] |
Micah Downs, Gonzaga [12] | |
2010 | Saint Mary's | 81–62 | Gonzaga | Mickey McConnell, Saint Mary's [13] | ||
2011 | Gonzaga | 75–63 | Saint Mary's | Marquise Carter, Gonzaga [14] | ||
2012 | Saint Mary's | 78–74 (OT) | Gonzaga | Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's [15] | ||
2013 | Gonzaga | 65–51 | Saint Mary's | Elias Harris, Gonzaga [16] | ||
2014 | Gonzaga | 75–64 | BYU | Sam Dower, Gonzaga [17] | ||
2015 | Gonzaga | 91–75 | BYU | Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga [18] | ||
2016 | Gonzaga | 85–75 | Saint Mary's | Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga [19] | ||
2017 | Gonzaga | 74–56 | Saint Mary's | Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga | ||
2018 | Gonzaga | 74–54 | BYU | Killian Tillie, Gonzaga | ||
2019 | Saint Mary's | 60–47 | Gonzaga | Jordan Hunter, Saint Mary's | ||
2020 | Gonzaga | 84–66 | Saint Mary's | Joël Ayayi, Gonzaga | ||
2021 | Gonzaga | 88–78 | BYU | Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga[20] | ||
2022 | Gonzaga | 82–69 | Saint Mary's | Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga[21] | ||
2023 | Gonzaga | 77–51 | Saint Mary's | Drew Timme, Gonzaga | ||
2024 | Saint Mary's | 69–60 | Gonzaga | Augustas Marčiulionis, Saint Mary's |
Results by team
Championship game team wins
School | Wins | Losses | Games | Win pct | Last title | Last game |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gonzaga | 21 | 9 | 30 | .700 | 2023 | 2024 |
Saint Mary's | 5 | 11 | 16 | .313 | 2024 | 2024 |
Pepperdine | 3 | 4 | 7 | .429 | 1994 | 2002 |
Santa Clara | 2 | 5 | 7 | .286 | 1993 | 2007 |
San Diego | 2 | 1 | 3 | .667 | 2008 | 2008 |
Loyola Marymount | 2 | 1 | 3 | .667 | 1989 | 2006 |
San Francisco | 1 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 1998 | 1998 |
Portland | 1 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 1996 | 1996 |
BYU | 0 | 4 | 4 | .000 | 2021 | |
Pacific | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Team win–loss records
School | Games | Wins | Losses | Win Pct | Avg. Seed | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gonzaga | 83 | 66 | 17 | .795 | 2.08 | 38 (1987–2024) |
Saint Mary's | 72 | 39 | 33 | .542 | 3.45 | 38 (1987–2024) |
Pepperdine | 70 | 36 | 34 | .507 | 5.11 | 38 (1987–2024) |
Santa Clara | 69 | 33 | 36 | .478 | 4.55 | 38 (1987–2024) |
San Diego | 66 | 31 | 35 | .470 | 5.47 | 38 (1987–2024) |
San Francisco | 62 | 25 | 37 | .403 | 4.89 | 38 (1987–2024) |
Loyola Marymount | 59 | 24 | 35 | .407 | 6.26 | 38 (1987–2024) |
Portland | 51 | 15 | 36 | .294 | 6.74 | 38 (1987–2024) |
BYU | 25 | 13 | 12 | .520 | 3 | 12 (2012–2023) |
Pacific | 12 | 2 | 10 | .167 | 2.5 | 10 (2014–2015; 2017–2024) |
As of March 12, 2024.
Team head-to-head results
BYU | Gonzaga | LMU | Pacific | Pepperdine | Portland | Saint Mary's | San Diego | San Francisco | Santa Clara | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
vs. BYU | – | 6–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
vs. Gonzaga | 0–6 | – | 2–7 | 0–1 | 3–5 | 1–4 | 3–16 | 5–9 | 1–4 | 1–9 |
vs. LMU | 2–0 | 7–2 | – | 0–0 | 5–3 | 2–7 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 6–3 | 4–5 |
vs. Pacific | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | – | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 |
vs. Pepperdine | 1–0 | 5–3 | 3–5 | 1–1 | – | 2–5 | 7–4 | 7–5 | 1–8 | 4–5 |
vs. Portland | 1–0 | 4–1 | 7–2 | 0–0 | 5–2 | – | 5–1 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 4–3 |
vs. Saint Mary's | 1–2 | 16–3 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 4–7 | 1–5 | – | 1–5 | 1–4 | 6–6 |
vs. San Diego | 2–2 | 9–5 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 5–7 | 3–2 | 4–1 | – | 4–6 | 2–1 |
vs. San Francisco | 1–0 | 4–1 | 3–6 | 0–3 | 8–1 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 6–4 | – | 7–2 |
vs. Santa Clara | 2–0 | 9–1 | 5–4 | 0–2 | 5–4 | 3–4 | 6–6 | 2–2 | 2–7 | – |
Total | 10–10 | 61–16 | 23–32 | 1–7 | 36–31 | 13–32 | 35–31 | 29–32 | 21–34 | 31–33 |
Championship game team head-to-head results
BYU | Gonzaga | LMU | Pacific | Pepperdine | Portland | Saint Mary's | San Diego | San Francisco | Santa Clara | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
vs. BYU | – | 4–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
vs. Gonzaga | 0–4 | – | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–8 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 |
vs. LMU | 0–0 | 1–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
vs. Pacific | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
vs. Pepperdine | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
vs. Portland | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
vs. Saint Mary's | 0–0 | 8–4 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 |
vs. San Diego | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 |
vs. San Francisco | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 |
vs. Santa Clara | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – |
Total | 0–4 | 19–9 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 5–9 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–5 |
Results by seed
Seed win–loss records
Seed | Games | Wins | Losses | Win Pct |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 86 | 69 | 17 | .802 |
2 | 80 | 53 | 27 | .663 |
3 | 74 | 40 | 34 | .541 |
4 | 64 | 28 | 36 | .438 |
5 | 66 | 31 | 35 | .470 |
6 | 54 | 16 | 38 | .296 |
7 | 52 | 14 | 38 | .269 |
8 | 51 | 13 | 38 | .255 |
9 | 18 | 5 | 13 | .278 |
10 | 12 | 3 | 9 | .250 |
Championship game seed win–loss records
Seed | Games | Wins | Losses | Win pct | Last title | Last game |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 | 20 | 11 | .645 | 2024 | 2024 |
2 | 25 | 10 | 15 | .400 | 2023 | 2024 |
3 | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | 2008 | 2020 |
4 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | 1995 | 1999 |
5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1998 | 1998 |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1987 | |
8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Results by coach
Coach win–loss records
Coach | School | Games | Wins | Losses | Win pct | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mark Few | Gonzaga | 58 | 52 | 8 | .867 | 25 (2000–2024) |
Randy Bennett | Saint Mary's | 47 | 29 | 19 | .604 | 23 (2002–2024) |
Herb Sendek | Santa Clara | 14 | 6 | 8 | .429 | 14 (2017–2024) |
Shantay Legans | Portland | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | 6 (2022–) |
Stan Johnson | Loyola Marymount | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | 6 (2021–2024) |
Chris Gerlufsen | San Francisco | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 5 (2022–2024) |
Steve Lavin | San Diego | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 3 (2022–2024) |
Josh Newman | Pacific | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 (2024) |
Vacant | Pepperdine | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Coach | School | Games | Wins | Losses | Win pct | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Asbury | Pepperdine | 20 | 15 | 5 | .750 | 9 (1989–1994; 2009–2011) |
Dick Davey | Santa Clara | 28 | 14 | 14 | .500 | 15 (1993–2007) |
Brad Holland | San Diego | 25 | 13 | 12 | .520 | 13 (1995–2007) |
Dan Fitzgerald | Gonzaga | 19 | 9 | 10 | .474 | 11 (1987–1997) |
Dave Rose | BYU | 17 | 9 | 8 | .529 | 8 (2012–2019) |
Bill Grier | San Diego | 15 | 8 | 7 | .533 | 8 (2008–2015) |
Lorenzo Romar | Pepperdine | 16 | 7 | 9 | .438 | 9 (1997–1999; 2019–2024) |
Eric Reveno | Portland | 15 | 5 | 10 | .333 | 10 (2007–2016) |
Philip Mathews | San Francisco | 14 | 6 | 8 | .429 | 9 (1996–2004) |
Kerry Keating | Santa Clara | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 | 9 (2008–2016) |
Carroll Williams | Santa Clara | 13 | 8 | 5 | .615 | 6 (1987–1992) |
Max Good | Loyola Marymount | 13 | 7 | 6 | .538 | 6 (2009–2014) |
Rex Walters | San Francisco | 13 | 5 | 8 | .385 | 8 (2009–2016) |
Hank Egan | San Diego | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | 8 (1987–1994) |
Jim Brovelli | San Francisco | 13 | 4 | 9 | .308 | 9 (1987–1995) |
Marty Wilson | Pepperdine | 12 | 4 | 8 | .333 | 8 (1996; 2012–2018) |
Mike Dunlap | Loyola Marymount | 11 | 4 | 7 | .364 | 7 (2015–2021) |
Rob Chavez | Portland | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | 7 (1995–2001) |
Paul Westphal | Pepperdine | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 5 (2002–2006) |
Ernie Kent | Saint Mary's | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 6 (1992–1997) |
Paul Westhead | Loyola Marymount | 8 | 7 | 1 | .875 | 4 (1987–1990) |
Mark Pope | BYU | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | 8 (2020–2023) |
Sam Scholl | San Diego | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | 4 (2019–2022) |
Steve Aggers | Loyola Marymount | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 | 5 (2001–2005) |
John Olive | Loyola Marymount | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 | 5 (1993–1997) |
Larry Steele | Portland | 7 | 1 | 6 | .143 | 7 (1988–1994) |
Dan Monson | Gonzaga | 6 | 5 | 1 | .833 | 2 (1998–1999) |
Todd Golden | San Francisco | 6 | 4 | 3 | .571 | 6 (2020–2022) |
Lynn Nance | Saint Mary's | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | 3 (1987–1989) |
Damon Stoudamire | Pacific | 6 | 1 | 5 | .167 | 5 (2017–2021) |
Jan van Breda Kolff | Pepperdine | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2 (2000–2001) |
Jim Harrick | Pepperdine | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 2 (1987–1988) |
Dave Bollwinkel | Saint Mary's | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | 4 (1998–2001) |
Terry Porter | Portland | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | 4 (2017–2020) |
Michael Holton | Portland | 5 | 0 | 5 | .000 | 5 (2002–2006) |
Rodney Tention | Loyola Marymount | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3 (2006–2008) |
Jessie Evans | San Francisco | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3 (2005–2007) |
Kyle Smith | San Francisco | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3 (2017–2019) |
Dave Fehte | Saint Mary's | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1 (1991) |
Lamont Smith | San Diego | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 3 (2016–2018) |
Charles Bradley | Loyola Marymount | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 3 (1998–2000) |
Eric Bridgeland | Pepperdine | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1 (2008) |
Eddie Sutton | San Francisco | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1 (2008) |
Ron Verlin | Pacific | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2 (2014–2015) |
Jay Hillock | Loyola Marymount | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2 (1991–1992) |
Vance Walberg | Pepperdine | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 (2007) |
Ben Johnson | Portland | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 (2021) |
Tony Fuller | Pepperdine | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 (1995) |
Paul Landreaux | Saint Mary's | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 (1990) |
Jack Avina | Portland | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 (1987) |
Championship game coach win–loss records
Coach | School | Games | Wins | Losses | Win Pct | Last title | Last Game |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mark Few | Gonzaga | 25 | 19 | 6 | .760 | 2023 | 2024 |
Randy Bennett | Saint Mary's | 14 | 4 | 10 | .286 | 2024 | 2024 |
Mark Pope | BYU | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2021 | |
Damon Stoudamire | Pacific | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
Herb Sendek | Santa Clara | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
Lorenzo Romar | Pepperdine | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
Mike Dunlap | Loyola Marymount | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
Ben Johnson | Portland | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
Todd Golden | San Francisco | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Coach | School | Games | Wins | Losses | Win Pct | Last title | Last Game |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Asbury | Pepperdine | 4 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1994 | 1994 |
Paul Westhead | Loyola Marymount | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 1989 | 1989 |
Dick Davey | Santa Clara | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 1993 | 2007 |
Dan Fitzgerald | Gonzaga | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1995 | 1996 |
Carroll Williams | Santa Clara | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1987 | 1989 |
Dan Monson | Gonzaga | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1999 | 1999 |
Philip Mathews | San Francisco | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1998 | 1998 |
Rob Chavez | Portland | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1996 | 1996 |
Bill Grier | San Diego | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2008 | 2008 |
Brad Holland | San Diego | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2003 | 2003 |
Ernie Kent | Saint Mary's | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1997 | 1997 |
Dave Rose | BYU | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2018 | |
Rodney Tention | Loyola Marymount | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2006 | |
Paul Westphal | Pepperdine | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2002 | |
Jan van Breda Kolff | Pepperdine | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2000 | |
Hank Egan | San Diego | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1994 | |
Dave Fehte | Saint Mary's | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1991 | |
Jim Harrick | Pepperdine | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1987 |
Gonzaga–Saint Mary's men's basketball rivalry
The Gonzaga–Saint Mary's men's basketball rivalry is an intra-West Coast Conference college basketball rivalry between the Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team of Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California and the Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Many analysts and members of the media have touted the Gaels vs. Zags as one of the best, if not the best, college basketball rivalry on the West Coast,[24][25] as both teams have been consistently two of the top three teams in the conference over the last 2 decades. Gonzaga and Saint Mary's have combined to win 26 out of the last 30 conference championship games, including each of the last 16. The two teams have met a total of 116 times dating back to 1955 and currently meet biannually as a part of WCC conference play, with the potential to play a third game in the WCC tournament and a fourth in the postseason.[26][27] As of March 2022, they have met 20 times in the WCC Tournament but have never met in any postseason tournaments beyond the end of conference play.[26] Saint Mary's has upset a number 1 ranked Zags squad twice – once in the 2019 WCC final as an unranked team and once in 2022 as #23 in Moraga. And in 2024 took down the Zags in the WCC Championship game by the score 69-60.
Broadcasters
Television
Year | Network | Play-by-play | Analyst | Sideline |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | ESPN | Dave Flemming | Sean Farnham | |
2023 | ||||
2022 | Molly McGrath | |||
2021 | ||||
2020 | Bob Wischusen | Dick Vitale | Sean Farnham | |
2019 | ||||
2018 | Gene Wojciechowski | |||
2017 | Dave O'Brien | Jeff Goodman | ||
2016[28] | Brent Musburger | Dick Vitale and Fran Fraschilla | ||
2015[29] | Dave Pasch | Sean Farnham | Jeff Goodman | |
2014[30] | Dave Flemming | |||
2013[31] | ||||
2012[32] | ||||
2011[33] | ||||
2010[34] | Terry Gannon | Stephen Bardo | ||
2009[35] | ESPN2 | Stephen Bardo and Steve Lavin | ||
2008[36] | ESPN | Stephen Bardo | ||
2007 | Dave O'Brien | Rick Majerus | ||
2006 | Dave Pasch | |||
2005 | Terry Gannon | Jimmy Dykes | ||
2004 | ||||
2003 | ||||
2002 | Chris Marlowe | Ann Meyers | ||
2001 | Reggie Theus | |||
2000 | ||||
1999 | ||||
1998 | ||||
1997 | ||||
1996 | ||||
1995 | ||||
1994 | ||||
1993 | Steve Physioc | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | ||
1992 | ||||
1991 | Barry Tompkins | Quinn Buckner | ||
1990 | Canceled | |||
1989 | Roger Twibell | Dan Belluomini | ||
1988 | Ted Robinson |
- As previously mentioned, the 1990 tournament final was canceled following the on-court death of Loyola Marymount player Hank Gathers during the Lions' semifinal game against Portland. LMU was given the league's automatic bid to that year's NCAA tournament by virtue of its regular-season league championship
Radio
Year | Network | Play-by-play | Analyst |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Westwood One | Ryan Radtke | Doug Gottlieb |
2022 | |||
2021 | Dan Dickau | ||
2020 | Spero Dedes | Austin Croshere | |
2019 | Ryan Radtke | Mike Montgomery | |
2018 | |||
2017 | |||
2016[37] | Kevin Calabro | P. J. Carlesimo | |
2015[38] | Bill Frieder | ||
2014[39] | Dave Ryan | ||
2013[40] | Dial Global Sports | Ted Robinson | Steve Lappas |
2012[41] | Kevin Calabro | ||
2011 | Westwood One | Ted Robinson | Steve Lappas |
2010 | P. J. Carlesimo | ||
2009 | Dave Sims |
See also
- West Coast Conference women's basketball tournament
References
- "WCC Presidents' Council Approves Men's Basketball Schedule Changes" (Press release). West Coast Conference. March 26, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- Meehan, Jim (April 2, 2018). "Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth says Zags staying in WCC". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, WA. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- Hodges, Jim; Stewart, Larry (March 5, 1990). "Other Reactions: WCC Cancels Tournament; TV's Footage Is Dramatic". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013.
- "The Gonzaga Bulldogs earned their fourth straight automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by defeating the Pepperdine Waves, 96-90, in the 2002 West Coast Conference championship game". March 4, 2002.
- "For the first time in WCC tournament history, the San Diego Toreros are the WCC men's basketball tournament champions". March 10, 2003.
- "Gonzaga defeated Saint Mary's 84-71 to win the WCC conference tournament and claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament". March 8, 2004.
- "Gonzaga Captures Tournament Title With 80-67 Win Over Saint Mary's". March 7, 2005.
- "Zags grab third straight WCC title". March 8, 2006.
- "Gonzaga Tops Santa Clara For WCC Title, 77-68". March 5, 2007. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
- "San Diego stuns Zags for WCC title". March 10, 2008.
- "WCC Tournament Set To Move To The Orleans Arena In 2009". March 8, 2008.
- "Gonzaga Takes Home WCC Tournament Title". March 9, 2009.
- "Saint Mary's Wins Zappos.com WCC Men's Basketball Championship". March 9, 2010.
- "Zags Heading To Big Dance For 13th Straight Season". March 7, 2011.
- "2011-12 WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL Weekly Release: March 13, 2012" (PDF). March 13, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
- "2013 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships Post-Game Notes" (PDF). March 12, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- "2013-14 WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL Weekly Release: March 18, 2014" (PDF). March 18, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
- "WCC Men's Basketball Championship - Finals Recap". March 10, 2015.
- "Crumpacker #WCChoops 2016 Men's Championship Recap". March 8, 2016. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- Faraudo, Jeff (March 9, 2021). "No. 1 Gonzaga Overcomes Double-Digit Deficit to Claim WCC Title". West Coast Conference. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- Faraudo, Jeff (March 8, 2022). "Gonzaga Wins 2022 WCC Men's Basketball Championship". West Coast Conference. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
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