No. 6 Gonzaga goes for WCC title clincher at BYU (Feb 23, 2018)
There was supposed to be a change this season at the top of the West Coast Conference.
Perennial stalwart Gonzaga lost four major pieces from last year's Final Four squad and its main rival, Saint Mary's, returned four starters, including budding star Jock Landale.
In November, the Gaels were a unanimous choice to win the conference.
Three-plus months later? The more things stay the same.
The No. 6 Zags (26-4, 16-1 WCC) are a win away from their 15th outright conference title since 1998. They take on BYU on Saturday night in Provo, Utah.
The Bulldogs, who have already clinched at least a tie for the title (they lead Saint Mary's by one game), have shared three others during that stretch.
This season's run hasn't always been easy.
On Thursday, Gonzaga overcame foul issues and some costly turnovers to turn back a pesky San Diego team 77-72.
It was familiar territory for Zags coach Mark Few this season.
"A lot of games in there, including San Diego and BYU at our place and a couple on the road where we were tested, it was like, 'How bad do we want to stay in this race?'" Few told the Spokesman-Review of Washington. "They hung in there and took care of business when they got their shot.
"Now we just have to finish it off in Provo."
Like they normally due in WCC play, the Zags dealt with a sellout crowd (announced at 4,772) in San Diego.
On Saturday, it will be a whole lot nosier with 19,000-plus expected at the Marriott Center.
The Cougars (22-8, 11-6) have struggled down with their shooting down the stretch and needed overtime to pull out wins over San Francisco and last-place Pepperdine before a Saturday loss in San Diego.
"I can't pinpoint one thing during this stretch where we've struggled from the 3-point line, but just looking at it from my perspective is we're due to have some big shooting nights, and there's no better time than now," BYU forward Yoetli Childs told the Daily Herald of Provo.
The Bulldogs-Cougars recent series has been a strange one.
On Senior Night a year ago, BYU had its second straight win on Gonzaga's notoriously tough home court when it knocked off the then-No. 1 Bulldogs in Spokane. By contrast, the Cougars haven't beaten the Zags in Provo since 2014.
While Gonzaga is playing for a conference title and a better seed in the NCAA Tournament, BYU likely has only an NIT bid in the future.
"This is a really competitive group with a ton of heart and a ton of character," Cougars coach Dave Rose told The Salt Lake Tribune. "They kinda get bashed around a bit by a lot of people as far as what the team has done. This is a really tough, hard-nosed group of guys that are giving it all they have."
BYU, which is locked in to the third seed in the WCC tournament that begins Friday in Las Vegas, will have to win it to avoid missing the NCAAs for the third straight season.
