Gonzaga is one win away from a No. 1 seed (theoretically)

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Saint Mary’s Gaels will face off in the WCC Tournament Championship game for the second-consecutive year, and plenty is on the line for the Zags.

The common sentiment around the internet seems to be if Gonzaga takes home the WCC Championship, they take home the No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday. That will be easier said than done, however.

Even though the Zags defeated Pacific by 32 points, the Bulldogs only played 20 minutes of good basketball in the game. Last night, the Bulldogs struggled to put away a Santa Clara team that was missing its second leading scorer and was mired in foul trouble all night.

On the flipside of that coin, Saint Mary’s has looked great in the WCC Tournament. They steamrolled both Portland and BYU—the latter being the stinging point since BYU just delivered the Senior Night Upset Special no one wanted in Spokane.

Now, the Zags have owned the Gaels this season, defeating them by 23 in Moraga and winning by 10 at home. But the two teams are trending in slightly different directions at the moment, and momentum means a lot during these one-and-done tournaments.

But the Zags have more on the line than the Gaels do. Saint Mary’s is in the tournament, and a win here would help their seeding a line or two. The Zags, on the other hand, need to win to keep that No. 1 seed they’ve been gifted so far. A loss here would send the Zags most likely to the No. 2 line, perhaps even the No. 3 line depending on how the Pac 12 Tournament shakes down.

So yeah, March basketball. It is already crazy and it is only the 7th.

Game info:

• Time: 6:00 pm PT
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: Gonzaga IMG Network
• Online: WatchESPN.com