The WCC men’s basketball tournament tips off on Thursday, and one of 10 participants will earn a ticket to the Big Dance. We’ll take a look at all of the pertinent 2023 WCC Tournament odds (courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook), schedule, and how you can watch. It all begins on March 2, but neither Gonzaga nor Saint Mary’s — the favorites to win the tournament — will take the court until Monday.
Normally, the ‘Zags would be hefty favorites among WCC tournament odds. Click on the odds below to place a bet.
WCC Tournament Odds
Tournament Notes
As previously revealed, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s are neck-and-neck atop the WCC tournament odds board. They initially opened as co-favorites, but DraftKings subsequently took early money on the two-seed Bulldogs, which pushed them ahead by 30 cents (as of Thursday morning). Gonzaga’s price tag is equivalent to a 55.56% implied probability of winning the league tourney.
The 6-foot-10 Drew Timme represents a static variable in his tenure with the program, averaging 21.2 points per game while accruing the 17th-highest foul rate nationally. Hence, he paces Gonzaga’s top-rated adjusted offensive efficiency (per KenPom). However, the Bulldogs’ adjusted defensive efficiency (AdjD) sits outside of the top-45 rankings for the first time since 2009-10. That’s a product of its inefficient rim protection, which has taken a hit without one-time ‘Zag Chet Holmgren.
Despite the Gaels earning the WCC’s No. 1 seed because of the NET ranking tiebreaker, Mark Few’s unit avenged its overtime loss in Morgana, Calif. on Feb. 4 with a nine-point win in their rematch. Few employed a timely wrinkle at Saint Mary’s, utilizing a 1-2-2 press, which hindered Randy Bennett’s ball-screen offense from working into its sets as smoothly as usual.
Longshot Worth Considering?
Among all of the teams post-Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, BYU (+5000 opener) is the most intriguing option for me. The Cougars own the WCC’s second-rated AdjD in conference play. They’ll avoid the ‘Zags until a possible title game matchup, too. Meanwhile, the Gaels’ defense has looked more vulnerable of late, and Mark Pope’s squad already tallied a pair of close losses against them in the regular season.
Nevertheless, I’d be more inclined to fade the Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament. For one, BYU would need to knock off the conference’s top-two seeds on consecutive nights — an extremely arduous task. You also won’t be in an ideal spot to hedge off any of your Cougars futures ahead of the title game, as the ‘Zags would be a hefty favorite.
Granted, you may be positioned to do so via a live betting wager, but that would require a hot start from Gonzaga or a competitive game down the stretch. Moreover, some ‘books don’t allow you to bet as much in-game as they do pregame.
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WCC Tournament Schedule
- First Round: Thursday, March 2
- Second Round: Friday, March 3
- Quarterfinals: Saturday, March 4
- Semifinals: Monday, March 6
- WCC Championship: Tuesday, March 7
How To Watch
The first two rounds are available for viewing on the WCC Network streaming platform. On March 4, viewers can catch the WCC tournament quarterfinals on ESPN2. The semifinals will be showcased on ESPN and ESPN2, respectively, on March 5 while the title game is on ESPN — March 7 at 7 p.m. ET. Scan the rest of the conference tournament schedule as well.
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