WCC Finals – Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. BYU Cougars – injuries, odds, and more
PNWS presents what you need to know for the West Coast Conference Tournament Finals between Gonzaga and Brigham Young.
ZagsNation will have to catch this game at an early time as it’s the first of two WCC Tournament semifinals on Monday evening.
Who: Brigham Young Cougars (20-5) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-0)
Where: Orleans Arena – Las Vegas, NV.
When: Monday, March 9, 2021 – 6:00 p.m. PST.
TV: ESPN. Announcers: Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham
Line: Gonzaga -13. Over/Under: 155 (Odds Shark).
Injuries: Gonzaga – No injuries reported. BYU – Out: Gavin Baxter and Wyatt Lowell.
Interesting Trends: Gonzaga is undefeated this year (25-0) but only .500 against the spread (12-11-2). They have won 17 of their last 21 and eight straight on neutral courts. The Zags have gone over in five of six. They are 8-1 against BYU since 2018.
Brigham Young is on a five game winning streak. Since December 12, they are 15-1 against teams not named Gonzaga. The Cougars can play offense, they scored less than 70 points only once in their last 12 games.
Last Head to Head – February 8 – No. 1 Gonzaga 82 – Brigham Young 71
Many thought the Cougars actually had a chance to beat the Zags this year. Brigham Young was the last team to defeat the Zags back on February 22, 2020. Lightning didn’t strike twice. The Bulldogs came out fast with a 15-2 lead to let BYU know they weren’t the same team the Cougars defeated in 2020.
The Zags big three led the way. Jalen Suggs had 24 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Drew Timme pulled off a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Corey Kispert also contributed 13 points to go along with three assists.
Outlook
Tonight is the game Gonzaga circled on their calendar when conference play began in January. This team is so talented, anything less than the West Coast Conference Title is a disappointment. The fact its against BYU, the Zags biggest conference rival this season and the last team to beat them, is a plus.
Forget about the Zags looking rusty after an eight day layoff. They came out smoking in Monday’s semifinal against St. Mary’s. Gonzaga beat the Gaels from inside (Drew Timme 18 points, 8 boards), outside and from defense through the transition game.
If there is one area where the Bulldogs have to pick it up is turnovers. Once again, Gonzaga was careless with the ball, giving up 14 turnovers. BYU is just looking for a chances to get freebie baskets.
The most important player Gonzaga must look out for is Alex Barcello. This season he averaged 16.0 points and 4.5 assists-per game. The senior transfer also shot a blistering 49.5 percent from three-point range.
BYU is the team that has something important to play for (other than pride). A win could make them at least a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Even so, all signs point to Gonzaga cutting down the nets at Orleans Arena.
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