It all comes down to this for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Saint Mary’s Gaels. On Monday night in Las Vegas, the Bulldogs and Gaels look to settle the score as they face-off in the WCC Championship with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line. With the conference down this season, it’s possible both these teams must win to make it into March Madness, setting up what should be a hotly contested matchup.
The Gaels took round one of what’s now a three-round fight, using this shot by Mickey McConnell to drop Gonzaga on its home floor, a rarity at The Kennel in Spokane. Gonzaga rallied back the next time the two teams met, returning the favor on the Gaels home floor in an overtime victory. Two games, on needing an extra five minutes, decided by six total points.
Gonzaga and St. Mary’s had the easy route to the finals, earning a free pass to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament by virtue of their regular season records. The two schools finished tied atop the WCC standings, with St. Mary’s taking the No. 1 seed and Gonzaga the No. 2. The Bulldogs survived a pesky San Francisco team on Sunday night, after an unfortunate gaffe late in the game, with the Dons calling a timeout that didn’t exist, while St. Mary’s breezed in its semifinal matchup.
It all gets underway at 6 p.m., live on ESPN. Stay tuned to our 2011 WCC Tournament StoryStream throughout the tournament for the latest news and updates. For another take, check out SB Nation Bay Area’s 2011 West Coast Conference Tournament StoryStream. For more on Gonzaga, check out SB Nation’s Slipper Still Fits.