The Broncos could spoil the Zags' last game in the WCC and clench an NCAA Tournament bid in the process
Mar 10, 2026 at 5:40 pm ET • 1 min read
Gonzaga has won 22 West Conference Conference Tournament championships over the years, including 17 of the past 23 titles. It's been an incredible run.
But it's now coming to a close.
That is, of course, because the Zags are moving to the remade Pac-12 after this season, meaning their appearance in Tuesday night's championship game of the WCC Tournament will be their last. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 ET. The opponent is Santa Clara.
Yes, the opponent is Santa Clara, which upset Saint Mary's 76-71 in Monday's WCC Tournament semifinal to move to 26-5 on and the season and, more importantly, into the projected bracket at CBS Sports. The Broncos are now ones of the "last four in" the tournament field, according to CBS Sports Bracketology. That suggests Santa Clara's at-large hopes will be alive but very much up in the air if the Broncos lose to the Zags. If they win, though, they'll be guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
That's great stuff from Broncos coach Herb Sendek.
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Saint Mary's losing to Santa Clara opened a spot in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings that I opted to fill with BYU. The Cougars are coming off Saturday's 82-76 win over Texas Tech at the Marriott Center. They'll return to the court Tuesday to play Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, where they're listed as 10.5-point favorites. If they win, they'll play West Virginia on Wednesday.
