West Coast Conference 2022 Basketball Tournament Bracket.
The NCAA Tournament is just weeks away. To practice my brackets, I thought I’d forecast the West Coast Conference Tournament. Beginning Thursday, March 3, the WCC will take over the Orleans Arena to crown a 2022 champion. The Gonzaga Bulldogs won last year. But after a loss in their final regular season game of 2022, can they repeat? Here’s how I think the week will play out.
Game 1: 6:00 PM PST – #9 Pacific (8–21 overall, 3–11 WCC) vs. #8 Loyola Marymount (10–17, 3–12) – BYUtv and Stadium Network (out of market).
Pacific and LMU have played twice since February 20, so they should be familiar with each other. The teams split, with the home team taking the win in each game. The main differentiator was Loyola Marymount had a three-point lead at Pacific with 1:18 to go but couldn’t hold on. LMU advances.
Game 2: 8:00 PM PST – #7 San Diego (14–15, 7–9) vs. #10 Pepperdine (7–24, 1–15) – BYUtv and Stadium Network (out of market).
San Diego didn’t have a great season, but Pepperdine’s was outright awful. The Tigers are 1–15 in their last 16, all conference games. USD advances.
Game 3: 6:00 PM PST – Winner Game 1 (#8 LMU) vs. #5 Brigham Young (21–9, 8–6) – BYUtv and Stadium Network (out of market).
After a hot start to the season, Brigham Young has a NET ranking of 53. That puts BYU on the wrong side of the March Madness cutoff. They probably need to win out in New Orleans, but depending on how the other conference tournaments play out, a trip to the finals might do it.
The Cougars are far more talented and win handily. BYU advances.
Game 4: 6:00 PM PST – Winner Game 2 (#7 San Diego) vs. #6 Portland (17–13, 7–7) – BYUtv and Stadium Network (out of market).
Portland probably isn’t as good as their record shows. The Pilots haven’t beaten a good team aside from a 69–68 upset against San Francisco on February 9. San Diego has a recent 32-point loss to avenge, and they will. USD advances.
Game 5: 7:30 PM PST – Winner Game 3 (#5 BYU) vs. #4 San Francisco (23–8, 10–6) – ESPN2.
This game is the biggest toss-up game of the tournament. BYU is in a must-win mode. Meanwhile, USF, with a 27 NET ranking, might survive a loss. But they don’t want to take that chance. Beating BYU not only seals their spot in the tournament but also lands them a ninth seed or better.
At the least, the game will be an epic battle between two of the league’s top scorers, BYU’s Alex Barcello and San Francisco’s Jamaree Bouyea, each average 17 points per game. It will be fun to see them go at each other. In the end, San Francisco pulls out a narrow win. USF advances.
Game 6: 9:30 PM PST – Winner Game 4 (#7 San Diego) vs. #3 Santa Clara (20–10, 10–5) – ESPN2.
San Diego’s two-game Vegas win streak comes to an end, and it won’t be pretty. The Santa Clara Broncos are vastly superior. Jalen Williams and Keshawn Justice will rain threes down on the Toreros. Santa Clara advances.
Game 7: 6:00 PM PST – Winner Game 5 (#4 San Francisco) vs. #1 Gonzaga (24–3, 13–1) – ESPN.
Bad news for USF. They face a fired-up bunch of Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Zags lost their regular season finale to St. Mary’s last week. Another “L” not only drops them from being the top overall seed, it likely costs them a number one regional seed.
Gonzaga’s had San Francisco’s number for a long time. Monday night should be no different; there will be no upset this day. Expect to see Mark Few’s team focused and firing on all cylinders. The music stops for USF, and the Bulldogs advance.
Game 8: 8:30 PM PST – Winner Game 6 (#3 Santa Clara) vs. #2 St. Mary’s (24–6, 12–3) – ESPN2.
This is St. Mary’s first game since ending Gonzaga’s WCC winning streak. The Gaels have to be on a huge high. This time out, it’s St. Mary’s, whose streak comes to an end. Santa Clara pulls the upset (not that the Broncos are big underdogs).
The teams split their two matchups this season, each with a home-court victory. On the neutral court, Santa Clara nails three-pointers at a better clip than St. Mary’s can defend against them. The Broncos can stake their claim to an NCAA Tournament bid with two more wins. This is the first. Santa Clara advances.
Game 9: 6:00 PM PST – Winner Game 7 (#1 Gonzaga) vs. Winner Game 8 (#3 Santa Clara) – ESPN.
The mission continues. Santa Clara knocked off Gonzaga’s Achillie’s Heel in the Semis. The Zags should probably thank them, but they just don’t lose to Santa Clara. Gonzaga won this season’s two-game series by an average of 22 points. GU’s victory will be their 9th West Coast Conference Tournament win in 10 years.
On an individual basis, there are a few Gonzaga players who need to state their respective cases for the NBA Draft. Big games like this show the scouts what a player can do in high-pressure situations. Drew Timme, Chet Holmgren, and Andrew Nembhard will bring their best.
How do you think the WCC Tournament plays out. Let us know in the comments section below.