College basketball rankings: No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 14 Saint Mary's set for third showdown in WCC title game
The Gaels upset the Bulldogs just last month, setting the stage for a dramatic third meeting on Tuesday night
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Gonzaga beat San Francisco Monday night. Then Saint Mary's beat Santa Clara. So the Zags and Gaels will now meet Tuesday night, for a third time this season, in the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament inside the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
The Zags are 12.5-point favorites.
With a win, Gonzaga will improve to 26-3 on the season -- with a 10-3 record in Quadrant 1 opportunities -- and presumably lock up the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The Zags would then enter the NCAA Tournament as the betting favorite thanks to an adjusted efficiency margin of +32.65, which is more than five points better than everybody else's in the sport, according to KenPom.com.
So that's the deal if Gonzaga beats SMC.
But what if the Zags lose?
Even with a loss, I think, Gonzaga would remain a No. 1 seed but likely be in jeopardy of no longer being the No. 1 overall seed if Arizona wins the Pac-12 Tournament and/or Baylor wins the Big 12 Tournament. Meantime, Saint Mary's, with a win Tuesday night, would have a strong case to be a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament with a resume that would then feature two wins over the Zags and zero losses outside of Quadrant 1.
My pick: Gonzaga 73, Saint Mary's 64.
Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren combined for 39 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks in Monday night's 81-71 victory over San Francisco, and I'm expecting more of the same in the WCC Tournament title game -- though it should be noted that both All-American candidates undeniably struggled against the Gaels in last month's 67-57 loss at Saint Mary's. In that game, Timme and Holmgren tallied 12 points and six turnovers in 66 combined minutes. Needless to say, they must be better this time.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga is 11-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Texas Tech, Texas, Saint Mary's and UCLA. The Zags' next game is Tuesday against Saint Mary's in the title game of the WCC Tournament. | -- | 9-1 |
| 2 |  | Baylor is 18-5 in the first two quadrants and in possession of a national-best 11 Quadrant 1 wins. The Bears are the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 7-2 |
| 3 |  | Arizona is 14-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over USC (twice), UCLA and Illinois. The Wildcats are the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. | -- | 8-0 |
| 4 |  | Auburn is 14-4 in the first two quadrants with all four losses falling in Quadrant 1. The Tigers are the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament. | -- | 7-3 |
| 5 |  | Kentucky is 12-6 in the first two quadrants with all six losses coming in Quadrant 1 games away from home. The Wildcats are the No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament. | -- | 6-4 |
| 6 |  | Kansas is 17-6 in the first two quadrants with five of the six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks are the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 7-3 |
| 7 |  | Villanova is 14-7 in the first two quadrants with wins over Providence (twice) and Tennessee. The Wildcats are the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament. | -- | 7-2 |
| 8 |  | Providence is 14-4 in the first two quadrants and Big East regular-season champions for the first time in history. The Friars are the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament. | -- | 7-4 |
| 9 |  | Duke is 10-4 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Virginia falling in Quadrant 3. The Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. | -- | 10-0 |
| 10 |  | Wisconsin is 16-4 in the first two quadrants with wins over Purdue (twice), Saint Mary's, Houston and Iowa. The Badgers are the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 7-3 |
| 11 |  | Purdue is 12-6 in the first two quadrants with all six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Boilermakers are the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 9-1 |
| 12 |  | Tennessee is 12-7 in the first two quadrants with wins over Arizona, Auburn, Kentucky and Arkansas. The Vols are the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament. | -- | 7-3 |
| 13 |  | UCLA is 11-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over Arizona, Villanova and USC. The Bruins are the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. | -- | 7-2 |
| 14 |  | Saint Mary's is 11-6 in the first two quadrants with a win over Gonzaga and all six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Gaels' next game is Tuesday against Gonzaga in the title game of the WCC Tournament. | -- | 9-1 |
| 15 |  | Texas Tech is 13-8 in the first two quadrants with all eight losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Red Raiders are the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 7-2 |
| 16 |  | Arkansas is 11-5 in the first two quadrants with additional losses to Hofstra and Vanderbilt falling in Quadrant 3. The Razorbacks are the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament. | -- | 7-2 |
| 17 |  | Illinois is 12-8 in the first two quadrants with wins over Wisconsin and Iowa. (twice) The Illini are the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 8-2 |
| 18 |  | UConn is 12-8 in the first two quadrants with wins over Auburn and UConn. The Huskies are the No. 3 seed in the Big East Tournament. | -- | 9-1 |
| 19 |  | Texas is 10-10 in the first two quadrants with nine of the 10 losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Longhorns are the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 7-3 |
| 20 |  | Murray State is 5-1 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to East Tennessee State falling in Quadrant 3. The Racers won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and the OVC Tournament. | -- | 7-3 |
| 21 |  | Colorado State is 12-3 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to UNLV falling in Quadrant 3. The Rams are the No. 2 seed in the Mountain West Tournament. | -- | 8-2 |
| 22 |  | Houston is 8-5 in the first two quadrants with wins over Oregon and Virginia. The Cougars are the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament. | -- | 9-1 |
| 23 |  | Iowa is 8-9 in the first two quadrants with wins over Ohio State and Michigan State. The Hawkeyes are the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 8-2 |
| 24 |  | USC is 9-5 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Stanford falling in Quadrant 3. The Trojans are the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. | -- | 9-1 |
| 25 |  | Boise State is 11-6 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Cal State Bakersfield falling in Quadrant 4. The Broncos are the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Tournament. | -- | 7-3 |
| 26 |  | Seton Hall is 9-9 in the first two quadrants with wins over UConn and Texas. The Pirates are the No. 6 seed in the Big East Tournament. | -- | 9-1 |
