- Gonzaga University has been the powerhouse of the West Coast Conference under head coach Mark Few for more than two decades.
- The Bulldogs beat Saint Mary’s in the WCC Tournament final after losing twice to the Gaels during the regular season.
- It was the Bulldogs’ 20th WCC Tournament with Few at the helm.
March Madness is just over a week away, which means the conference tournaments will be held this week. One of those is the West Coast Conference Tournament, which wrapped up on Wednesday night.
Saint Mary’s had Gonzaga’s number during the regular season. But the Bulldogs have dominated the WCC over the last two decades under head coach Mark Few, and beat the Gaels to win the tournament. This secured their trip to the NCAA Tournament, although Gonzaga was already in the field.
Huff Scores 18, Bulldogs Use Defense to Get to March Madness
The Bulldogs used a miserable defense to stifle the 19th-ranked Gaels and win 58-51 in the WCC final at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Gonzaga’s defense was the difference as they forced 18 turnovers out of the Gaels, while only committing four themselves. The Bulldogs also harassed the Gaels into missing all 16 of their three-point attempts, which was the first time in 787 games that they didn’t make a long-range shot with head coach Randy Bennett leading the way.
Offensively, sophomore forward Braden Huff led the way with 18 points, although he was making just his second start of the season. Senior guard Khalif Battle added 14 and five steals for the Bulldogs, who were outrebounded 43-28 by the Gaels, and still came up with the victory.
Senior big man Mitchell Saxen paced the Gaels with 20 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Augustas Marciulionis had 12 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Marciulionis is the two-time defending WCC Player of the Year, but he couldn’t get it going against a Gonzaga defense that targeted him.
It is a remarkable run for the Bulldogs under Few, who has been in charge since 1999. This is their 20th WCC Tournament win with Few, who has never missed the NCAA Tournament with Gonzaga. The Bulldogs were already, likely, in the NCAA Tournament field. But winning the conference tournament cemented their spot, and now we can start looking at their 2025 March Madness odds.
Can Gonzaga Finally Win the NCAA Tournament?
Winning the NCAA Tournament is the only thing the Bulldogs haven’t done under Few. The closest they came two runner-up trips in 2017 and 2021, losing to North Carolina and Baylor, respectively. Few has lost just three times in the first round, and not since 2008. That’s something to remember when thinking about your March Madness contests.
The March Madness odds have Gonzaga as a longshot to win it all this season, which suits Gonzaga just fine. They beat Baylor and Indiana early in the season in terms of ranked opponents, but lost to Kentucky, Connecticut, and UCLA. Then, the Bulldogs defeated Saint Mary’s, who were attempting to become the first team to beat Gonzaga three times in one season since San Diego in 1996-97.
Gonzaga is second in the nation in points scored behind Alabama, but they showed they could defend against Saint Mary’s. Huff and guard Dusty Stromer are sophomores, but the rest of their eight-man rotation consists of all seniors.
They’re experienced, and they won’t be afraid of anyone in close games. There’s a lot of top-end talent in this year’s NCAA Tournament, especially coming out of the SEC. But that’s why March Madness is so great. Absolutely anything can happen, and usually does, which is why betting on March Madness underdogs can be profitable!
