The West Coast Conference has stayed a two-team conference for over 20 years. Either Gonzaga or St. Mary’s has won the regular season in the WCC for each of the past 25 seasons. The last time someone other than Gonzaga or St. Mary’s won? Pepperdine took the regular season crown in 1999-2000. If you’re looking to wager on the WCC, you’ll most likely want to lean into Gonzaga or St. Mary’s. Will 2024-25 end up any different? Which side makes the most sense? Let’s get into it.
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2025-26 West Coast Conference Champion Best Bet
Gonzaga to win the West Coast Conference: -150
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Gonzaga returns forward Graham Ike for his graduate year. Ike averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last year. He only averaged 23.0 minutes per game. He started the year recovering from leg issues, and the Bulldogs clearly monitored his minutes last year. This year? He’s coming into the season fully healthy for one last run in Spokane, WA.
Ike will also play alongside center Braden Huff for one more year. The two Gonzaga big men will be joined by a pair of big transfer portal additions and a red-shirted transfer portal addition from last year.
Tyson Grant-Foster transfers in from Grand Canyon, while Adam Miller transfers in from Arizona State. TGF starred for the Lopes for the last two years and is expected to add two-way athleticism to the Bulldogs. Miller will turn 24 years old in January and can knock down shots from distance. Grant-Foster is still waiting on an NCAA waiver to allow him to play this year. However, if he doesn’t get it, the Bulldogs have red-shirt senior Jalen Warley ready to fill in. Warley was a solid contributor at Florida State before transferring to Virgina, re-entering the portal, and heading to Gonzaga.
Point guard Braeden Smith was the 2024 Patriot League Player of the Year. He transferred from Colgate to Gonzaga last year, but chose to redshirt instead of playing a bench role. He’s the starting point guard this year.
Everyone in Gonzaga’s starting lineup is 23 years old or more and brings a ton of experience to the table.
When it comes to the bench, Gonzaga also has a solid mix of vets and up-and-coming youngsters to round out their roster. The Bulldogs are deep, experienced, and matchup well with multiple styles, and have players who have won. The Bulldogs don’t rebuild. They reload.
St. Mary’s returns several key pieces, but lacks the depth and experience that Gonzaga can bring to teams. Big men Paulius Murauskas and Harry Wessels return for the Gaels, but they lost seniors Augustus Marciulions, Mitchell Saxon, and Luke Barrett. That’s a lot of experience to replace, and the Gaels weren’t nearly as active in the portal as Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs have a roster that could compete for a regular-season championship in several power conferences. Games with St. Mary’s will be must-wins, but no one else in the conference comes close. Lock up Gonzaga to get back to the top for the 2025-26 season.
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