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BYU won’t make its WCC tournament debut until Monday, March 9th in the semifinals, but things will get started Thursday in Vegas. Below is the official bracket and tv info for the men’s tournament; all times are Pacific.
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Gonzaga is the clear favorite and has historically owned the WCC tournament. The last time the Zags did not make the finals was 1997 (that’s not a typo).
St Mary’s is the defending champion after upsetting Gonzaga 60-47 in the finals and stealing a bid. The WCC is likely to get three teams in this year, so a team outside of that trio would have to win if there is to be a “bid stealer.” San Francisco gave Gonzaga troubles in both of their matchups, so that would be a semifinal to watch if the Dons can advance that far.
BYU has had a rough go in conference tournaments, with the Cougars last title coming in 2001.
KenPom released its odds and has Gonzaga as the favorite with BYU in the next tier and St Mary’s a distant third.
Here are the probabilities for the WCC tournament, where top-seeded Gonzaga is the favorite. (at Las Vegas. March 5-10). #log5 pic.twitter.com/w2cEONyUHa
— Ken Pomeroy (@kenpomeroy) March 2, 2020
Gonzaga fans typically make up a vast majority of spectators, but BYU could have its best fan contingent yet with the type of season they are having.