No. 9 Gonzaga itching to close WCC tenure with outright title

Gonzaga is preparing for its final regular-season contest in the West Coast Conference but it is Saint Mary's that is looking for a share of its fourth straight crown.

The No. 9 Bulldogs have been looking up at the Gaels in recent campaigns as two of the best teams in the west clash on Saturday night in Saint Mary's cozy gym at Moraga, Calif.

Gonzaga (28-2, 16-1 WCC) leads the Gaels (26-4, 15-2) in the conference race thanks to its 73-65 home win over Saint Mary's on Jan. 31. The Bulldogs have clinched a share of the crown and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WCC postseason tournament.

If they defeat Saint Mary's a second time, the Zags win the outright crown in their final season before leaving for the rebuilt Pac-12.

If Saint Mary's is victorious, the Gaels keep their impressive streak going. Saint Mary's shared the regular-season crown with Gonzaga in 2023 and won the league outright each of the past two seasons.

Longtime Gaels coach Randy Bennett said winning the regular-season title is much more impressive than prevailing in the postseason conference tourney.

"I would say it means the most. It's on our bucket list," Bennett said after Wednesday's 86-67 rout victory of visiting Santa Clara. "We've won a few of them in a row now. That's the standard.

"We have a chance to do that on Saturday. It's going to be a battle between us and Gonzaga."

Bulldogs coach Mark Few said he views the tournament as the bigger deal.

"This is nice," Few said after his squad clinched a share of the regular-season crown with an 89-48 home shellacking of Portland on Wednesday. "It's nicer to have the No. 1 seed in the tournament and I think that is really, really pivotal for us."

The Gaels have won seven straight games since the loss in Spokane. The Bulldogs are also hot with six straight victories.

Gonzaga was pleased with its last showing as the Pilots upset the Zags 87-80 earlier this month in Portland.

Bulldogs star Graham Ike had 19 points and matched a school mark with seven steals. But earning a title is what mattered to him.

"It's the first time we've done it in my years here, which is pretty special," said Ike, in his third season with Gonzaga.

Few was impressed with Ike's work on the defensive end.

"Getting around and knocking some balls loose, seven steals I guess is a program record," Few said. "That's pretty amazing to do that at the 5-spot. That's usually reserved for guards."

In the first meeting, the Bulldogs held Saint Mary's to 34% shooting from the floor.

"We need to be aggressive," Few said. "We did a really good job the first time. You have to really battle against Saint Mary's."

Ike scored 30 points in that contest, one of his three 30-point efforts this season.

Now Ike has his eyes set on sweeping Saint Mary's.

"That would be amazing," Ike said. "That would be a great way to end this regular-season slate. So we have to make sure that gets done."

Gaels big man Harry Wessels is looking to be part of his fourth straight title team.

"In those big games, anything can happen," Wessels said. "It's a big rivalry game. Obviously, you live for these games."

Bennett touched on the sentimental aspect of the game. The Gaels and Bulldogs have been fearsome competitors -- splitting the past 12 meetings -- as Gonzaga leaves for a new adventure.

"They made us better," Bennett said of the Bulldogs. "People say you shouldn't give them any credit but they're the No. 1 winningest program in college basketball over the last 25 years. It's crazy. No shame in that."