SALT LAKE CITY — The West Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament is just about here — it starts Thursday and ends March 10 — which means now is the time for predictions.
ESPN, Sports Illustrated, SBNation and Athlon Sports all channeled their inner-Nostradamus, and the results were profoundly pro-Gonzaga.
ESPN’s panel of experts included Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Jordan Schultz, all of whom tabbed the Bulldogs as the WCC tourney favorites. Gonzaga was one of just 10 unanimous picks by the panel out of the 32 conferences that will be holding tournaments.
Sports Illustrated’s Frankie Taddeo also went with the Zags, though he did note that “the (BYU) Cougars continue to open eyes around the country with their strong play and enter the WCC Tournament on a nine-game winning streak.”
Matt Joseph of Athlon Sports picked Gonzaga to claim the title as well, but the decision proved difficult.
“I really wanted to pick BYU because I think Yoeli Childs makes that much of a difference, but I just can’t,” he writes. “I think the Zags take it as usual and the Cougars sweat it out on Selection Sunday after a loss to the Gaels in the semis.”
Meanwhile, SBNation’s Mike Rutherford went with less traditional predictions. Rutherford penned two different stories, one of which details which five conference title games he hopes to see, while the other examines which individual players will have the biggest impact during championship week.
Rutherford is dying to see a BYU-Gonzaga Part 3.
“Look I love the Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s rivalry as much as anyone else, and if the Zags and Gaels play for the WCC title for the fourth time in five years, awesome. I’ll definitely be watching,” he writes. “Having said that, Gonzaga-BYU is the title game everyone without a rooting interest should be hoping to see.”
Rutherford went on to sing the Cougars’ praises, particularly on offense. Childs drew considerable attention, too — so much that Rutherford included the BYU big man in his most impactful player predictions.
Childs comes in at No. 6 on his list of 25, making him one of the players Rutherford believes will grab the national spotlight this week.
“Childs has been an absolute monster for the Cougars since returning (from suspension and injury),” he writes. “BYU is riding a nine-game winning streak that includes a double-digit victory over Gonzaga, and Childs is the biggest reason why. The senior forward heads into the postseason averaging 22.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.”
Gonzaga’s Filip Petrusev comes in at No. 2 on the list, which would only make a BYU-Gonzaga title bout that much more competitive.
“It’s rare that a championship game on this list has the potential to be as good and as fun as Gonzaga vs. BYU could be,” writes Rutherford.