NCAAM 2019 West Coast Conference Tournament Odds: Should You Bet Against Gonzaga?
- Gonzaga is a prohibitive favorite to win the West Coast Conference title
- The Bulldogs were 16-0 in WCC play this season
- Gonzaga has won six straight WCC titles
The West Coast Conference is all about Gonzaga and it has been for quite some time. The Bulldogs rule the WCC and there looks to little standing between their drooling jaws and a seventh straight WCC tournament title.
The odds have Mark Few’s squad as prohibitive -1500 chalk. The tournament runs Mar. 7th-12th with all games played at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
2019 West Coast Conference Tournament Odds
| Team | West Coast Conference Tournament odds (Mar. 6) |
|---|---|
| Gonzaga | -1500 |
| Saint Mary’s | +600 |
| San Francisco | +2000 |
| BYU | +2500 |
| San Diego | +10000 |
| Loyola Marymount | +25000 |
| Pacific | +25000 |
| Pepperdine | +25000 |
| Santa Clara | +25000 |
| Portland | +50000 |
The Bulldogs have fashioned a success story on the hardwood that belongs right there alongside the elite powers of NCAA basketball, the Dukes, Kentuckys and North Carolinas. Gonzaga has played in every NCAA Tournament since 1999, a campaign that saw the school reach the Elite Eight.
The Coaches Poll top 25 is out.
1. Gonzaga
2. Virginia
3. North Carolina
4. Duke
5. Tennesseehttps://t.co/8hqCjIj9N5— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) March 4, 2019
The Bulldogs have appeared in every final AP poll since the 2008-09 season. They’ve played in every WCC championship game since 1998 and all but one since 1995, winning 16 conference titles over that span. In 2016-17, Gonzaga played in its first Final Four and first NCAA Tournament title game.
Gonzaga on Top of the World
As they ready to play in the 2019 WCC tournament, Gonzaga has once again ascended to the No. 1 slot in the AP top 25 rankings.
Gonzaga Basketball is all the way at the top once again! #GoZags https://t.co/jzPWyAPBNr
— Marx Sterbcow (@marxsterbcow) March 4, 2019
At 29-2, the Bulldogs retained the top slot off an impressive 69-55 drubbing of arch-rival Saint Mary’s, who will carry the No. 2 seed into the WCC tournament. No wonder sportsbooks see the Bulldogs as the overwhelming chalk to capture a seventh successive conference title.
Saint Mary’s was the last team other than Gonzaga to win a WCC title, posting a 78-74 overtime decision against the Bulldogs in the 2012 final.
These Bulldogs Have Bite
Gonzaga returned to the top of the polls on Feb. 25. The Bulldogs have won 20 in a row, their only losses this season coming at the hands of No. 3 Tennesee and No. 5 North Carolina.
Gonzaga cleaned up when the WCC season awards were recently doled out.
Gonzaga sweeps the WCC basketball awards!
Coach of Year: Mark Few
Player of Year: Rui Hachimura
Newcomer of Year: Brandon Clarke
Defensive POY: Clarke
All-WCC 1st Team: Clarke, Hachimura, Zach Norvell, Josh Perkins
All-WCC Freshman Team: Filip Petrusevhttps://t.co/FtXrenYK05— Gonzaga Guru (@GonzagaGuru) March 6, 2019
Junior forward Rui Hachimura was named WCC Player of the Year and Mark Few was handed Coach of the Year for the fifth time since 2013. Junior forward Brandon Clarke earned Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Smooth @rui_8mura pic.twitter.com/JqjQCuPHKm
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 3, 2019
Hachimura, Clarke, senior guard Josh Perkins, and junior guard Zach Norvell were all named First Team All-WCC.
Should You Zig from the Zags?
Entering the tournament, Gonzaga has won 20 in a row. Each of those wins came by 12 points or more.
wHoA@genocrandall to @brandonclarke23 #SCTop10 #TopPlayTuesday pic.twitter.com/8aMGYlmqPL
— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 3, 2019
The Bulldogs are 42-4 in the WCC tournament under Few, a winning percentage of 91.3%. The Zags set a conference record this season, winning games by an average of 27 points. Gonzaga ranks No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, and No. 16 in defensive efficiency.
Gonzaga remains No. 1 and is one of two teams in Division I to enter its league tournament with a perfect conference record. https://t.co/O6EHJVEcw6
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) March 4, 2019
Is there any team in the WCC capable of giving the Bulldogs a game?
Well, only two will get the chance, since as the No. 1 seed, Gonzaga has a free pass into Monday’s semifinals, as do No. 2 seed Saint Mary’s.
The Gaels are the Bulldogs’ fiercest rivals, but it hasn’t been much of a rivalry this season. Gonzaga beat Saint Mary’s 94-46 at home and 69-55 on the road.
You have to go all the way back to 1997, when Saint Mary’s beat San Francisco, to find a WCC tournament final without the Bulldogs. That won’t change this year.
Sure, those odds on other WCC would return a massive payday. But there’s playing upsets and then there’s just being plain foolish.
SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage:
- Lipscomb Odds-On Favorite to Win NCAAM Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
- Colgate Odds-On Favorite to Win Patriot League Tournament
- 2019 Horizon League Tournament Odds: Northern Kentucky Favored
- 2019 Big South Tournament Odds: Radford Favored
- 2019 MAAC Tournament Odds: Iona & Rider Listed as Co-Favorites
- 2019 Colonial Conference Tournament Odds: Hofstra Given Edge Over Northeastern
- Saint Francis Red Flash Favored to Win 2019 Northeast Conference Tournament
- Belmont Favored Over Murray State in Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
