The 2011 West Coast Conference Tournament begins tonight with first round matchups and a late run in the conference regular season has moved the Gonzaga Bulldogs into the favorite position in the WCC tournament odds. Although the St. Mary’s Gaels are not that far behind, it goes to show how quickly people are willing to jump on the Bulldogs bandwagon after a few solid wins. Bodog posted the odds to win the WCC tournament as follows:
Gonzaga: 10/11
St. Mary’s: 5/4
Loyola Marymount: 80/1
Pepperdine: 65/1
Portland: 9/1
San Diego: 200/1
San Francisco: 16/1
Santa Clara: 25/1
Given all these odds I’d be inclined to pick Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga slipped ahead with the victory at Moraga, leaving us with a neutral floor rubber match. Although the Bulldogs could very well win the conference tournament, it almost seems like a sucker bet. The bet that could be the most interesting would be San Francisco. While the Dons were swept by St. Mary’s they did knock off Gonzaga in San Francisco. A neutral site won’t be a cake-walk, but the Dons wouldn’t have to face St. Mary’s until the finals.
We’ll have a running WCC tournament story stream throughout the weekend’s games. Additionally, you can get a Gonzaga perspective on this weekend’s games in SB Nation Seattle’s WCC tournament story stream.