Mid February Update
The preseason odds and predictions were all about Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, and those two teams have completely lived up to those expectations. No other team is mathematically alive in the conference, and Saint Mary’s currently holds a one game lead over Gonzaga. Making things even more interesting, the regular season closes out with Saint Mary’s visiting Gonzaga. A home win for Gonzaga, where they have lost just once all season, would bring us to a tie breaker scenario.
We will save you the digging, as it gets truly interesting if Gonzaga wins and we need to use all tie breaking procedures. All inter conference tie breaking procedures would not break the tie between these two teams. The tie break would go to NET rankings, where Saint Mary’s currently sits seventh in the nation, with Gonzaga tenth.
What To Bet In The West Coast Conference
The question becomes, how do we make the odds work in our favor? Saint Mary’s is currently favored to win the regular season crown at roughly a -500 price tag. The come back on Gonzaga is in the neighborhood of +350.
While there are other moving parts, we an essentially focus on the Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga game to find whether tie breaking procedures will be necessary. The expectation is for Gonzaga to be a small favorite on their home floor. Let’s assume Gonzaga wins that game, a huge assumption, and we go to the overall NET rankings.
The question becomes whether that win will be enough for Gonzaga to jump three spots in the NET rankings and to pass Saint Mary’s. My expectation would be for them to have done enough to jump over Saint Mary’s. If we make another large assumption and take that to be the case, we are essentially getting +350 odds for Gonzaga to win a game in which they are likely to be a favorite. This is a large value opportunity and we will take Gonzaga to steal the regular season conference crown in the last possible opportunity.
West Coast Conference Betting Odds
Preseason Look
The West Coast Conference has been run by two teams, and really one, and that will not change this season. Gonzaga is a heavy, heavy favorite at all the online sportsbooks and they should breeze their way through the rest of the conference.
Saint Mary’s and BYU are the two challengers, and they are both 16/1. If you really must bet on this conference, put your money on either the Gaels or Cougars to end the three-year run of the Bulldogs.
San Francisco, last seasons darling, is the only other team in the conference under 10/1 odds. The Dons will not win the conference tournament.
The biggest question out of this conference is if Gonzaga will finally be able to get over the NCAA Tournament hump. Gonzaga is currently tied with North Carolina for the best odds to win the title in 2022-2023. The Bulldogs have been in the title game twice since 2017 and have not been able to get over the hump. Besides for those two seasons, 2017 and 2021, Gonzaga has not been able to even reach the Final Four. Is this the year for the West Coast Conference? I think so.
West Coast Conference History
The West Coast Conference boasts 10 teams and all, but one is situated within the West Coast states. BYU is the one exception. The conference has been dominated by Gonzaga, who has appeared in the championship game of the conference 28 times, going 20-8. Saint Mary’s, 4-10, and Pepperdine, 3-4, are the only other teams to have won more than two conference championships. Either Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s has won every West Coast Conference title since 2009.
Other College Basketball Conference Odds
- AAC Conference
- ACC Conference
- A-10 Conference
- Big East Conference
- Big 10 Conference
- Big 12 Conference
- SEC Conference
- Pac-12 Conference
- Mountain West Conference
Win Count All-Time in West Coast Tournament
| WINS | WCC TEAM | LAST YR Won |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Gonzaga | 2022 |
| 4 | St. Mary’s | 2019 |
| 3 | Pepperdine | 1994 |
| 2 | Santa Clara | 1993 |
| 2 | San Diego | 2008 |
| 2 | Loyola Marymount | 1989 |
| 1 | San Francisco | 1998 |
| 1 | Portland | 1996 |
