Year after year, the West Coast Conference proves it is one of the best mid-major conferences in the league. However, it could be argued that the WCC is no longer a mid-major. Gonzaga has been a consistent national powerhouse. Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s has won at least a share of four consecutive regular-season titles and projects to earn its fifth straight NCAA tournament bid this year.
2026 WCC Tournament: Can Santa Clara End Gonzaga’s and Saint Mary’s Dominance in the Conference Tournament
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s enter the 2026 WCC tournament, which takes place in Paradise, Nevada, as the heavy favorites to capture this year’s crown. The Zags and Gaels are both ranked in the AP Top 25 and shared the regular season crown with a 16-2 record. Those two programs have captured the last 17 WCC tournament titles, with Gonzaga winning 13 crowns.
While Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s are the most likely teams to reach the conference finals, with automatic berths in the 2026 WCC tournament finals, Santa Clara could foil those plans. Santa Clara had a historic season and is very good on both ends of the floor. The 2026 WCC tournament begins tonight with a pair of games.
2026 WCC Tournament Schedule
First Round – Thursday, March 5
Game 1:N o. 9 Portland vs. No. 12 Pepperdine
Game 2: No. 10 Loyola Marymount vs. No. 11 San Diego
Second Round – Friday, March 6
Game 3: No. 8 Washington State vs. Winner Game 1
Game 4: No. 7 Seattle vs. Winner Game 2
Third Round – Saturday, March 7
Game 5: No. 5 San Francisco vs. Winner Game 3
Game 6: No. 6 Pacific vs. Winner Game 4
Quarterfinals – Sunday, March 8
Game 7: No. 4 Oregon State vs. Winner Game 5
Game 8: No. 3 Santa Clara vs. Winner Game 6
Semifinals – Monday, March 9
Game 9: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. Winner Game 7
Game 10: No. 2 Saint Mary’s vs. Winner Game 8
Final – Tuesday, March 10
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10
© Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images
