Rubber match in the WCC

Gonzaga gets all the press, and with good reason. Since the late-90s they've dominated the West Coast Conference. From 2001-2010 the won the regular season outright. They've been to the Sweet 16 five times. Mark Few was named the conference Coach of the Year six straight times.

But in 2010 they developed a crack in their armor. The blow was delivered by St. Mary's. After winning the regular season (again) the Zags went into the conference tourney and promptly got hammered by the Gaels 81-62.  It was a 1-point game at halftime, and then they got curb stomped in the second half. Mickey McConnell scored 26 for the Gaels, and freshman Matthew Dellavedova played 38 minutes and had six assists.

In 2011, St. Mary's and Gonzaga shared the regular season title, and the Zags won the tourney.

Last year, St. Mary's swept.

In 2013 we've got yet another SMC vs Gonzaga West Coast Conference Final. This is the fifth straight. Gonzaga, the No. 1 team in the nation, won both the regular season games.

In those five years the Zags have four regular season titles and two tournament titles. St. Mary's has two regular season titles and two tournament titles.

Gonzaga made the final by handily beating a Loyola Marymount team that won one regular season conference game. In the bizarre WCC format, LMU had already played three games to reach the semis, while the Zags (and St. Mary's) received automatic promotion to the semis. On the other side of the bracket St. Mary's needed a 3-pointer by Dellavedova in the final seconds to force overtime, where they won 69-66.

When the two square off on Monday, if it looks familiar it's because it is. This is year five. They've each won two. Game on.

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