SB Nation Bay Area - 2011 WCC Tournament: Gonzaga Defeats St. Mary's 75-63 To Clinch Tourney Bidhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48817/bayrea-fave.png2011-03-07T20:50:01-08:00http://bayarea.sbnation.com/rss/stream/17914842011-03-07T20:50:01-08:002011-03-07T20:50:01-08:00St. Mary's vs. Gonzaga: SMC Loses WCC Championship Game, Awaits Selection Sunday Fate
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<p>The 2011 West Coast Conference Championship game is in the books and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have punched their ticket for the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The St. Mary's Gaels battled foul trouble all night long and came out on the short end of the stick in the WCC title game. The Gaels now find themselves in a bit of an odd position. Saint Mary's made a late season addition to their schedule and now will host Weber State this Friday. They cannot afford to lose this game, but they also need to figure out how to regroup from this disheartening loss to Gonzaga.</p>
<p>The Bulldogs did not seal the game until the final three minutes, but the Gonzaga victory just seemed inevitable at times. While SMC was able to capture the lead at the 12:13 mark of the second half, they couldn't get the lead past a single point. Gonzaga was able to wear the Gaels down inside thanks to Rob Jones' foul trouble. Jones was almost entirely ineffective tonight save for a couple of baskets. He picked up three fouls, including one technical, midway through the first half and sat out the final ten minutes of that half. While he didn't get his fourth foul until halfway through the second half, he played incredibly tentative basketball. He finished with six points and nine rebounds but disappeared for long stretches of the game.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how the rest of this week and <a target="_blank" href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/california-golden-bears/2011/3/7/2035594/2011-selection-sunday-ncaa-tournament-bracketology-final-brackets">Selection Sunday play out</a>. The Gaels played tonight's matchup quite close but a late Gonzaga run resulted in a twelve point Gaels loss. The selection committee hopefully saw this game, but it's entirely possible some of them didn't and will just view it as a bad loss for SMC. As a member of a mid-major, their top 50 RPI and 22 wins (likely 23 after Friday's Weber State game) might not be enough to lock up an at-large bid, even with this new expanded field. We'll be here all week keeping an eye on various conference tournament outcomes and what they might mean for the Gaels 2011 NCAA tournament chances.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/7/2037011/st-marys-vs-gonzaga-smc-loses-wcc-championship-game-selection-sundayDavid Fucillo2011-03-07T19:14:35-08:002011-03-07T19:14:35-08:00St. Mary's vs. Gonzaga, 2011 WCC Championship First Half Recap: Bulldogs Lead 39-34
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<p>The first half of the 2011 WCC Championship game was a rough and tumble affair with a lot of fouls and even some blood drawn. At the end of twenty minutes of play, the Gonzaga Bulldogs lead the St. Mary's Gaels 39-34. The Bulldogs have that lead in part thanks to a Marquise Carter runner at the buzzer. Carter leads the Bulldogs with 11 points and scored six of the team's last eight points of the half. Saint Mary's is led by Mickey McConnell's 11 points and Matthew Dellavedova's 10 points.</p>
<p>The big story of the first half has to be Rob Jones's foul trouble. The Gaels leading rebounder grabbed an early foul and sat for a stretch before returning. However, he then was charged with a second foul trying to draw a charge and was quickly T'd up for too much arguing of the call. With three fouls, Jones was sent to the bench at the 10:29 mark and sat out the rest of the first half. While Gonzaga did take advantage of the big man's absence, they should arguably be even further ahead than their current five point lead. Fortunately for St. Mary's their outside shooting has been solid as they are 5-for-9 from beyond the three point line.</p>
<p>We'll be back with a game recap in <a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/3/2027443/2011-west-coast-conference-wcc-tournament-bracket-schedule-scores-st-marys-gonzaga-las-vegas" target="_blank">our WCC tournament stream</a>, but in the meantime we'll have in-game updates via Twitter (<a href="http://www.twitter.com/sbnbayarea" target="_blank">@sbnbayarea</a>).</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/7/2036856/st-marys-vs-gonzaga-2011-wcc-championship-first-half-recap-bulldogsDavid Fucillo2011-03-07T14:54:15-08:002011-03-07T14:54:15-08:00St. Mary's vs. Gonzaga, 2011 WCC Championship Game Preview: ESPN Airing Battle For NCAA Tournament Bid
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<p><b>Fooch's Note: We'll have a halftime update and game recap in this stream. For the rest of our in-game updates, check us out at <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/sbnbayarea" target="_blank">@sbnbayarea</a>.</b></p>
<p>Tonight at 6:00pm pacific, ESPN will air the 2011 West Coast Conference Championship game between the St. Mary's Gaels and the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/gonzaga-bulldogs" class="sbn-auto-link">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a>. The top two seeds in the WCC tournament split their season series with a pair of tightly contested games that were not decided until the closing moments of each game. Tonight's rubber match has Gonzaga as a slight 1 1/2 point favorite, which is a spread befitting a game that should be filled with high drama. Of course now that I've said that, one team is going to win by about 20.</p>
<p>The Saint Mary's Gaels are led by WCC Player of the Year Mickey McConnell and his 16.5 points and 6.1 assists per game. However, on any given night they have several players that can step up and lead the team. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/29874/rob-jones" class="sbn-auto-link">Rob Jones</a> and Matthew Dellavedova are averaging 13.6 and 13.2 points per game, while <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101281/mitchell-young" class="sbn-auto-link">Mitchell Young</a> is dropping in 10.4. Jones is the Gaels primary inside man as he averages 7.5 rebounds per game, while Young brings down 5.1 board per game.</p>
<p>Jones and Young will have to earn their scholarships tonight as they'll face an assortment of big bodies in the Gonzaga lineup. Seven footer <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/29773/robert-sacre" class="sbn-auto-link">Robert Sacre</a> is the team's leading rebounder with 6.2 per game, while <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101222/elias-harris" class="sbn-auto-link">Elias Harris</a> is right behind him with 5.9 per game. Seven footer <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101221/kelly-olynyk" class="sbn-auto-link">Kelly Olynyk</a> doesn't play nearly as many minutes as Sacre and Harris, but you can't teach seven feet and he is able to give them some size off the bench. The Bulldogs leading scorer is senior guard <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/29777/steven-gray" class="sbn-auto-link">Steven Gray</a>, who averages 13.7 points per game. Sacre and Harris provide 12.5 and 12.2 points per game respectively.</p>
<p>Gonzaga received some big contributions last night against San Francisco when junior guard <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123596/marquise-carter" class="sbn-auto-link">Marquise Carter</a> poured in a team-leading 18 points and freshman guard <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101220/david-stockton" class="sbn-auto-link">David Stockton</a> (John's son) added 9 points, 3 steals, 2 assists and 3 rebounds in 15 minutes of play. If the Bulldogs get those kinds of contributions tonight it could be a long night for the Gaels.</p>
<p>We'll have more updates from tonight's game in our<a target="new" href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/3/2027443/2011-west-coast-conference-wcc-tournament-bracket-schedule-scores-st-marys-gonzaga-las-vegas"> WCC tournament story stream</a>. Additionally, you can get a Gonzaga perspective on this weekend's games in <a target="new" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/gonzaga-bulldogs/2011/3/3/2027634/wcc-tournament-2011-schedule-bracket-teams-scores">SB Nation Seattle's WCC tournament story stream</a> and at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.slipperstillfits.com/">The Slipper Still Fits</a>.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/7/2035869/st-marys-vs-gonzaga-2011-wcc-championship-game-preview-espn-ncaa-tournament-tv-scheduleDavid Fucillo2011-03-07T08:33:26-08:002011-03-07T08:33:26-08:002011 WCC Tournament Finals Betting Odds: Gonzaga Slight Favorite Over St. Mary's In Spread
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<p>The gambling odds are out for tonight's 2011 West Conference Conference Tournament Finals and Gonzaga has emerged as a slim favorite over St. Mary's. The Bulldogs range from 1 1/2 to to 2-point favorites <a href="http://oddsshark.com/ncaab/gonzaga-st-marys-odds-march-7-2011" target="_blank">depending on which site you view</a>. The over/under is at approximately 142 1/2 total points. Over the course of this season, Gonzaga has gone 14-11-1 against the spread while St. Mary's is 11-10-2 against the spread.</p>
<p>This line reflects how close this matchup should be tonight. In their two matchups this season the home team has been a four point favorite. In the first game up in Spokane the Bulldogs <a href="http://www.scoresandodds.com/grid_20110127.html?sort=rot" target="_blank">opened as 2 1/2 point favorites</a> and the line closed with them as 4 point favorites. St. Mary's won that matchup 73-71. In the return match at Moraga, St. Mary's <a href="http://www.scoresandodds.com/grid_20110224.html?sort=rot" target="_blank">opened as 3 1/2 point favorites</a> and the line closed with the Gaels as 4 point favorites. Gonzaga won that matchup 89-85 in overtime.</p>
<p>The rubber match will take place on a neutral court, but one person in attendance seems to think Gonzaga will have a <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ryanmgreene/status/44634444455362560" target="_blank">huge advantage in terms of fan support</a>. Given the wins on opposite home courts, it remains to be seen how valuable that will be. It should make for an electric atmosphere, particularly given the fact that both teams have very little margin for error when it comes to at-large bids.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/7/2034941/2011-wcc-tournament-finals-betting-odds-gonzaga-favorite-st-marys-spreadDavid Fucillo2011-03-07T06:01:01-08:002011-03-07T06:01:01-08:00Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's, 2011 WCC Tournament Finals: Does The Bubble Watch Even Matter?
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<p>After a Sunday of exciting West Coast Conference basketball, the 2011 WCC men's basketball tournament has reached it's finale. The No. 1-seeded St. Mary's Gaels will face the No. 2-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, with the winner securing the league's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Tournament. A St. Mary's win will give the Gaels back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in school history. Both squads find themselves firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble watch.</p>
<p>Clearly both teams desperately want to win this game. However, the possibility of an at-large berth does exist in some manner for both teams. Both teams find themselves precipitously on the bubble, with the Gaels sitting with an RPI of 46 and the Bulldogs with an RPI of 67. The Bulldogs best win this season was over RPI No. 21 Xavier. The Gaels own an impressive win over the St. John's Red Storm. SMC and Gonzaga split their matchup this season with both teams rolling up a road upset.</p>
<p>Both teams deserve credit for putting together solid non-conference schedules, although at the end of the day losses to good teams aren't exactly the best help. Gonzaga lost at home to San Diego State, Memphis, and Illinois, lost on the road to Notre Dame and Washington State, and lost on a neutral site to Kansas State. Saint Mary's lost on the road to San Diego State and Vanderbilt, lost at home to Utah State, and lost on a neutral court to BYU.</p>
<p>I'd argue that Saint Mary's road loss to No. 317 San Diego would put them in a worse position, but Gonzaga's losses at No. 121 San Francisco and No. 158 Santa Clara don't give them much better cred. It wouldn't surprise me at this point if the WCC ended up as a one bid league. That should make this game all the more entertaining as desperation level should be incredibly high.</p>
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<p>We'll have more updates from tonight's game in our<a href="http://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/3/2027443/2011-west-coast-conference-wcc-tournament-bracket-schedule-scores-st-marys-gonzaga-las-vegas" target="new"> WCC tournament story stream</a>. Additionally, you can get a Gonzaga perspective on this weekend's games in <a href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/gonzaga-bulldogs/2011/3/3/2027634/wcc-tournament-2011-schedule-bracket-teams-scores" target="new">SB Nation Seattle's WCC tournament story stream</a> and at <a href="http://www.slipperstillfits.com/" target="_blank">The Slipper Still Fits</a>.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/7/2034390/gonzaga-vs-st-marys-2011-west-coast-conference-tournament-finals-bubble-watchDavid Fucillo2011-03-06T22:05:56-08:002011-03-06T22:05:56-08:002011 West Coast Conference Tournament Results: Gonzaga Escapes With Semifinal Win Over San Francisco
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<p>The Gonzaga Bulldogs held off a feisty San Francisco Dons squad to advance to the finals of the 2011 West Coast Conference tournament. The Bulldogs overcame a poor second half of shooting to end the upset hopes of the Dons. Gonzaga advances to face St. Mary's tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN in a battle of the top two teams in the conference.</p>
<p>The Bulldogs looked like they were ready to cruise as they led by 10 at the half. The game got off to a slow start in the first half but Gonzaga looked to be pulling away. However, Gonzaga suddenly couldn't hit the broad side of a barn as they were shooting under 40% throughout the second half. San Francisco caught fire and actually cut the lead to two with under a minute to play. Unfortunately for the Dons three straight turnovers kept them from tying the game.</p>
<p>The game took a surreal turn at the end. The Dons hit a three to cut the lead to 68-65 with seven seconds left. After a 30-second timeout, Gonzaga went to inbounds the pass when Rashad Green stole the pass to David Stockton. Unfortunately, someone on the Dons appeared to try and call a timeout even though San Francisco was out of timeouts. This reenactment of Chris Webber's infamous 1993 NCAA tournament mistake cost the Dons. Marquise Carter hit one of two free throws and USF was unable to recover in the closing seconds.</p>
<p>Today's St. Mary's and Gonzaga victories now gives us a much anticipated rubber match. Saint Mary's defeated Gonzaga 73-71 in Spokane and Gonzaga returned the favor with an 89-85 OT victory in Moraga.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/6/2034319/2011-wcc-west-coast-conference-tournament-results-gonzaga-escapes-san-franciscoDavid Fucillo2011-03-06T19:14:43-08:002011-03-06T19:14:43-08:002011 West Coast Conference Tournament Results: St. Mary's Defeats Santa Clara 73-64
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<p>The St. Mary’s Gaels used a solid second half to pull away and defeat the Santa Clara Broncos in the first semifinal game of the 2011 West Coast Conference tournament. The Gaels will face the winner of the second game featuring Gonzaga and San Francisco. This marks the third straight year Saint Mary’s has played in the <span class="caps">WCC</span> finals and a victory tomorrow night on <span class="caps">ESPN</span> would send <span class="caps">SMC</span> to the <span class="caps">NCAA</span> tournament for the second straight season. The Gaels have never been to the <span class="caps">NCAA</span> Tournament in consecutive seasons.</p>
<p>Santa Clara gave St. Mary’s a tough time in the first half as the Gaels were unable to pull far ahead at any point. <span class="caps">SMC</span> went into the half up two, but used a quick 13-5 run to take a ten point lead early in the second half. St. Mary’s used an incredibly balanced attack to wear out the Broncos. Mitchell Young led the team with 17 points and seven rebounds. Team leader Mickey McConnell had a bit of a slow night putting up ten points and five assists. However, the work of Young, Stephen Holt and Matthew Dellavedova more than made up for McConnell’s slow night.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/6/2034124/2011-wcc-west-coast-conference-tournament-results-st-marys-defeats-santa-claraDavid Fucillo2011-03-06T17:56:35-08:002011-03-06T17:56:35-08:002011 West Coast Conference Tournament Update: St. Mary's Leads Santa Clara By Two At Halftime
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<p>The St. Mary’s Gaels find themselves in a tough battle in the opening semifinal game of the 2011 West Coast Conference tournament. Saint Mary’s heads into halftime leading the Santa Clara Broncos 31-29. The game got off to a slow start with neither side getting into double digit scoring until the 10:21 mark. The Broncos led 26-22 with under three minutes to go, but the Gaels used a 9-3 run to close out the half with the two point lead.</p>
<p>Santa Clara has seen 22 of their 29 points come from Marc Trasolini and Kevin Foster. Four different players have scored six or more points for St. Mary’s, led by seven from Matthew Dellavedova. <span class="caps">WCC</span> Player of the year Mickey McConnell has scored four points and dished out four assists.</p>
<p>The winner of this game will advance to face the winner of Gonzaga and San Francisco tomorrow night at 6:00pm pacific on <span class="caps">ESPN</span>. The Dons and Bulldogs will tip approximately thirty minutes after this game ends.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/3/6/2034008/2011-wcc-west-coast-conference-tournament-update-st-marys-leads-santaDavid Fucillo