Gonzaga: Another Year, Another WCC Championship Game Against St. Mary’s
By Ben Renner
Gonzaga is set to complete their dominant season tonight against St. Mary’s in the WCC Championship game, their 20th consecutive appearance.
Gonzaga has been successful for as long as some of you have been alive. Head coach Mark Few turned a small Catholic college in Spokane, Washington–in many ways the antithesis of Seattle–into a national college basketball powerhouse.
This year, sporting arguably their best team ever, the Gonzaga Bulldogs will play in their 20th-straight West Coast Conference title game. Their opponent is a familiar foe out for blood: Saint Mary’s College.
As Selection Sunday draws near, St. Mary’s has more to play for in tonight’s WCC Championship. Ranked 19th nationally, a win over their rivals from Eastern Washington would likely move them up a few seeds in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. St. Mary’s hammered BYU in the semifinals 81-50 (in their 14th WCC Tournament semifinals appearance in the past 15 seasons). BYU of course upset Gonzaga less than two weeks ago to knock them from their top spot in the nation to fourth.
More from Emerald City Swagger
- Seattle Seahawks: To rest or not to rest, that is the question
- Washington State Football: What you need to know for 2018 Alamo Bowl
- Washington Basketball: 3 takeaways from Huskies win over Sacramento St.
- Seattle Seahawks: 12s still waiting to exhale
- Seattle Seahawks: 4 Takeaways from 26-23 Loss to the 49ers
The Gaels will be looking to avenge their only two league losses all year in front of a national audience tonight at 6p.m. on ESPN. A win will not only move them up in NCAA Tournament seeding, it will be a huge boost for the players before Round One.
St. Mary’s will lean on their star forward Jock Landale, fresh off a 22-point, 10-rebound performance against BYU, to keep Gonzaga from burying them in the paint as they did in their last meeting.
In their ten-point win over the Gaels last month, Gonzaga forwards Johnathan Williams and Przemek Karnowski combined for 36 points on 16 of 22 shooting. For his part, Washington transfer, Gonzaga guard, and WCC Player of the Year Nigel Williams-Goss relishes the challenge:
"“It’s postseason basketball. They’re playing for their lives. Nothing comes easy in March.”"
Next: Huskies Have No Choice But to Retain Romar
The pressure is on under the national spotlight tonight for the WCC Tournament crown.