2013 College Basketball picks: West Coast Conference Tournamant Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – WCC Tournament Schedule and Tournament Bracket: The West Coast Conference has been known for producing some Cinderella teams in the past, but this year, the WCC has produced a juggernaut. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have climbed to the top of the polls for the first time in program history, adding a little more prestige to the West Coast Conference Tournament. Regardless of the outcome of the WCC Tournament, the conference is likely to have two teams dancing during March Madness. However, Gonzaga is still playing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament while the rest of the teams in the conference are playing to ensure that they will be a part of the field of 68. There is more riding on the outcome of the West Coast Conference Tournament than ever before, and here is a closer look at what to expect.
2013 WCC Tournament Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Contenders
Seeing as how they are currently the No. 1 team in the country, it is safe to assume that the Gonzaga Bulldogs (29-2, 16-0 WCC) will be contenders for the West Coast Conference Tournament crown after wrapping up an undefeated season in conference play. Gonzaga rolls into the tournament with the top-scoring offense and stingiest defense in the conference. In fact, the Bulldogs rank ninth in the country in scoring at 78.4 points per game and third in field goal percentage. Forward Kelly Olynyk is the leading scorer for the potent, efficient attack, but the Bulldogs have plenty of firepower in the backcourt, as well. This team didn’t grab the No. 1 ranking by accident. The Bulldogs are talented.
The Saint Mary’s Gaels (26-5, 14-2 WCC) have been playing second fiddle in the West Coast Conference all season, but the postseason tournament could be their chance to grab the spotlight. Star point guard Matthew Dellavedova leads a dangerous offense that ranks 20-th in the country in scoring and 12th in field goal percentage. Dellavedova leads the way with 16.5 points per game, but he also averages 6.2 assists. Plain and simple, he makes the Gaels’ offense run and is the team’s most important player. Throw in the fact that Saint Mary’s has the second-best defense in the WCC, and the Gaels could be on the road to redemption against a Gonzaga team that beat them twice during the regular season.
Although the BYU Cougars (21-10, 10-6 WCC) will probably have to win the conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament, they are still a solid team. Granted, they did lose all four meetings with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, but three of those games were very competitive. The Cougars have an explosive scorer in guard Tyler Haws, and if the sophomore gets really hot in the WCC Tournament, anything could happen. After all, Haws is averaging 20.9 points per game for a BYU offense that ranks 18th in the country in scoring. A couple of fortuitous bounces here and there are all it takes to turn BYU’s close regular season losses into huge postseason wins. The Cougars may be the underdogs, but they are still dangerous.
Bottom Line
Gonzaga is the obvious favorite heading into the tournament, and by virtue of the seeding, the Bulldogs will only have to play one of the conference’s other top teams. Of course, it might not matter if they had to play both because the Bulldogs own a 19-point win over the Gaels and a 20-point win over the Cougars. The bottom line is that Gonzaga is by far the best team in the WCC when they play anything that remotely resembles their best basketball. The Bulldogs simply have too much balance on offense and too much balance between both ends of the court. Yes, Saint Mary’s has Dellavedova and BYU has Haws, but one great player isn’t going to be able to overcome the overall talent and depth that Gonzaga brings to the table.
Prediction: Gonzaga Bulldogs Win the West Conference Tournament
Odds to Win 2013 WCC Tournament
Gonzaga -320
Saint Mary’s +230
BYU +1100
Santa Clara +3300
San Francisco +20000
San Diego +50000
Loyola Marymount +80000
Pepperdine +100000
Portland +120000
2013 WCC Tournament Schedule
First Round: Wednesday, March 6 on BYUtv
Game 1: No. 8 Portland vs. No. 9 Loyola Marymount, 9 p.m.
Second Round: Thursday, March 7 on BYUtv
Game 2: No. 5 San Francisco vs. Portland/Loyola Marymount winner, 9 p.m.
Game 3: No. 6 San Diego vs. No. 7 Pepperdine, 11:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal Round: Friday, March 8 on ESPNU
Game 4: No. 4 Santa Clara vs. Game 2 winner, 9 p.m.
Game 5: No. 3 BYU vs. Game 3 winner, 11:30 p.m.
Semifinal Round: Saturday, March 9 on ESPN2
Game 6: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. Game 4 winner, 9 p.m.
Game 7: No. 2 St. Mary’s vs. Game 3 winner, 11:30 p.m.
Final Round: Monday, March 11 on ESPN or ESPN2
Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 9 p.m
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