West Coast Conference Odds: Gonzaga in a Landslide

Bulldogs Expected to Cruise to Conference Crown

They say nothing is certain in life but death and taxes. You could probably add Gonzaga winning the WCC title this year to that as well. The West Coast Conference odds have Gonzaga -1500 to win the title and those odds are justified when you look at the Bulldogs. It’s not as though Saint Mary’s is a slouch. But the Zags are that good.

GONZGonzaga Bulldogs

One thing you can say about the Bulldogs is they don’t back down from a fight. With an NCAAB preseason schedule that includes the likes of Texas, Kentucky and Baylor, the Zags will be ready for conference play. It helps when you have leading scorer Drew Timme and guard Julian Strawther returning for another year.

Rasir Bolton can be overlooked but he played more than 27 minutes a game last year and averaged 11.2 points. Anton Watson is another returning player with immense talent. He scored 7.3 points and grabbed 4.7 rebounds in just 18.1 minutes per game last year. Those numbers should increase if he can get more playing time. Check the NCAAB player stats and keep updated.

The Bulldogs have no real weakness. They’re a top five team in the nation offensively….

The Bulldogs didn’t have the greatest recruiting class, landing just one 3-star player in Braden Huff. But you don’t have to be a great recruiting school when you can land young players wanting to transfer in. Efton Reid III comes in from LSU where he started all 34 games for the Tigers as a freshman a year ago. The 7-foot sophomore gives the Bulldogs a big body on the inside.

Guard Malachi Smith comes over from Chattanooga where he averaged 19.9 points per game last year. He’ll no longer be the focus of the offense at Gonzaga but he’ll score some and gives the team another threat.

The Bulldogs have no real weakness. They’re a top five team in the nation offensively. While the defense gets overlooked, it’s pretty solid in its own right. Gonzaga’s running style isn’t going to help with the defensive stats, but the Zags can get stops when they need.

The best conference game of the season should be Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s on Feb. 4, 2023. The West Coast Conference odds should have the Bulldogs favored. But it probably won’t be by 12 points as it was in 2021-22.

The Bulldogs are thinking a lot bigger than WCC title, which is expected when the NCAAB rankings have you a top five team in the nation. But the road to the Final Four begins with a conference championship and goes on from there.

The Others

SMCSaint Mary’s Gaels (+1600):

The West Coast Conference odds have the Gaels at +1600, which is pretty reasonable for a team that good. Those who use Sagarin college basketball tips know he has Saint Mary’s ranked in the top 20. Saint Mary’s does have its share of weak non-conference games, but do have Houston and San Diego State on the slate.

Once again, the key for Saint Mary’s is going to be the team defense. The Gaels don’t have any offensive stars. Last year Matthias Tass led the team with 12.6 points per game, so expect another year of balanced scoring. The game against Houston will be a good indication where the Gaels are in relation to the top teams in the country.

BYUBYU Cougars (+3000):

The West Coast Conference odds have the Cougars at +3000 and that could be a little low. The difference between Saint Mary’s and BYU is probably greater than the difference between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.

The Cougars are a decent team but clearly a step below the top two teams. Still, if the Cougars can finish third in the conference they have a good shot at a postseason berth somewhere. But the NIT looks to be more likely than the NCAA Tournament right now.

SFSan Francisco Dons (+5500):

The West Coast Conference odds on the Dons are a lofty +5500. But San Francisco might surprise a few people this season. The Dons are heavy on the upper classmen this year, with just four sophomores.

The rest of the players are juniors and seniors. San Francisco doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses but they don’t have any obvious strengths. A battle with BYU for third place seems much more likely than a battle for the conference title.

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