WCC Tournament 2012: St. Mary's Survives OT Thriller Vs. Gonzaga

WCC Tournament 2012, Saint Mary's Vs. Gonzaga: Gaels Prevail, 78-74, In Overtime Thriller

Saint Mary's got exactly what it was looking for with a 78-74 win over Gonzaga in the 2012 West Coast Conference Tournament final on Monday night. It just took overtime for the Gaels to take the latest round in one of college basketball's best rivalries and claim an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

Saint Mary's was led by Matthew Dellavedova, who had 22 points and four assists, leading the Gaels in both categories. And despite missing a game-winning runner as time expired in regulation, he salted away the game for the Gaels, hitting two clinching free throws in overtime.

Rob Jones (18 points), Jorden Page (16 points), and Brad Waldow (13 points) joined Dellavedova in double figures for Saint Mary's.

Gonzaga rallied from a 68-63 deficit in the final 30 seconds of the second half to force overtime thanks to Elias Harris' big three-pointer.

But Harris, who had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Zags, didn't even attempt a shot in overtime, as the Bulldogs led for just 49 seconds of the extra period. Robert Sacre added 17 points for Gonzaga in the losing effort.

For more Gonzaga coverage, check out The Slipper Still Fits.

WCC Tournament 2012, Saint Mary's Vs. Gonzaga: Gaels And Zags Tied At Halftime

Two of the best teams on the West Coast are facing each other yet again in the West Coast Conference championship game, and the bitter rivals are tied at 36 after the first half. The St. Mary's Gaels and the No. 24 Gonzaga Bulldogs have met in the WCC finals four years in a row, and it's clear why: they're by far the two best teams in this conference.

Gonzaga led for much of the first half, thanks largely to big man Elias Harris, who has 11 points and five rebounds to lead the Zags. Though Gonzaga is just 2-7 from the three-point line, they've turned the ball over just twice in the first half, a big key to why they were able to jump out to an eight-point lead. Then this happened:

That's St. Mary's Matthew Dellavedova and Beau Levesque making back-to-back three-pointers to bring the score to its halftime margin. Dellavedova, the WCC Player of the Year this season, leads the Gaels with 10 points and has been the catalyst for their offense. If the Gaels are going to complete the comeback and beat Gonzaga, it will be on Dellavedova's shoulders.

WCC Championship 2012 Preview: Gonzaga Vs. Saint Mary's In Rubber Match

One of college basketball's best rivalries will be back in the spotlight Monday evening when Saint Mary's and Gonzaga square off for the West Coast Conference tournament championship.

WCC Tournament 2012, Saint Mary's Vs. Gonzaga: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The West Coast Conference's two heavyweights will face off in the WCC Tournament final on Monday night when Saint Mary's meets Gonzaga at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Each team was the recipient of a double bye as a result of its work in the regular season, and each team got a win in semifinal action on Saturday to get to the final, but the Bulldogs had the more impressive win. They roared out to an early lead in the first half and never relinquished it against BYU in a 77-58 romp, and Kevin Pangos had 30 points in the victory.

Saint Mary's had to do some work to overcome the San Francisco Dons in their semifinal, but came back from a halftime deficit to secure a five-point win.

The Gaels and Bulldogs played twice in the regular season, and each team got a win on its home floor. Saint Mary's thumped Gonzaga 83-62 on January 12, while the Zags returned the favor in Spokane with a 73-59 victory on February 9.

Game Date/Time: Monday, March 5, 9:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

TV: ESPNU

WCC Tournament 2012, Gonzaga Vs. BYU Final Score: Bulldogs Cruise To Easy Win

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have a date with the Saint Mary's Gaels in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game. They controlled their semifinal against the BYU Cougars from start to finish, prevailing 77-58. The Bulldogs jumped out to a massive lead in the opening minutes and held onto it for the entire duration of the game, never giving BYU a chance to get back into the contest.

Kevin Pagnos was spectacular, scoring 30 points for Gonzaga, which is just one point shy of his career scoring high. He was helped by Guy Landry Edi and Elias Harris, who both scored in double digits. Harris put up a double-double, as he also grabbed 15 rebounds.

Brandon Davies and Charles Abouo performed well for BYU, while Matt Carlino and Noah Hartsock also scored 12 points apiece, but the rest of the BYU team scored just five points. As a team, the Cougars shot 38 percent from the floor to Gonzaga's 55 percent.

BYU is likely in the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team, but they are not a lock and they'll be biting their nails on Selection Sunday. Gonzaga face Saint Mary's in the tournament final on Monday.

For more on the two teams, head over to Gonzaga Bulldogs blog The Slipper Still Fits and BYU Cougars blog Vanquish The Foe.

WCC Tournament 2012, Gonzaga Vs. BYU Halftime Score: Bulldogs In Control

The BYU Cougars trail the Gonzaga Bulldogts by 12 points at halftime in their West Coast Conference tournament semifinal, and they should probably feel fortunate that they only trail by that much. The Zags laid an absolute beating on their opponents in the early going, and with just under eight minutes remaining in the half, they led BYU 30-12. The Cougars put together a decent run at the end of the half, and now trail 38-26.

Unfortunately for BYU, they're dealing with some injury issues: one they already knew about and another new injury. Senior Noah Hartsock came into this game with a knee problem and has been relatively ineffective off the bench. Near the end of the half, Charles Abouo appeared to pick up a wrist injury and headed into the locker room early.

Gonzaga guard Kevin Pagnos is having an excellent game, and he leads all scorers with 12 points. The Bulldogs have forced 12 BYU turnovers, and they're shooting 50 percent from the field as a team.

For more on the two teams, head over to Gonzaga Bulldogs blog The Slipper Still Fits and BYU Cougars blog Vanquish The Foe.

WCC Tournament 2012, Saint Mary's Vs. San Francisco: Gaels Come Back For 83-78 Win

The Saint Mary's Gaels had to work to get to the West Coast Conference Tournament final. But in a workmanlike 83-78 win over the San Francisco Dons, the top-seeded Gaels secured a chance to play for an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

Clint Steindl had 19 points, Matthew Dellavedova added 17, and all five Gaels starters finished in double figures. Saint Mary's had 20 assists on 20 made field goals, and shot 54.2 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from the three-point line.

The Dons gave the Gaels all they could handle, and led at the half. But Cody Doolin's 28 points couldn't compensate for San Francisco's defensive meltdown in the second half: the Dons allowed 49 points, and the Gaels missed just one shot in the game's final 10 minutes.

The Gaels will meet the winner of BYU-Gonzaga for the WCC tournament title.

For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

WCC Tournament 2012, Saint Mary's Vs. San Francisco: Dons Lead At Half, 38-34

Saint Mary's came into the West Coast Conference with a gaudy ranking and a chance to carry momentum into the 2012 NCAA Tournament. But the San Francisco Dons might make some alterations to that plan, and have taken a 38-34 lead on the Gaels to halftime of their WCC Tournament semifinal.

Cody Doolin and Rashad Greene have combined to position San Francisco for the upset, scoring 15 and 11 points, respectively. Both guards also have multiple threes on the night, but the Dons are also playing well as a whole, shooting 60 percent from the field.

Saint Mary's struggles on the night are all about the Gaels' lack of defense, because the offense has been just fine. Clint Steindl has nine points on three threes — and has taken seven shots, all threes — and five other Gaels have at least three points each.

For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

WCC Tournament 2012: BYU Vs. Gonzaga Game Time, TV Schedule And More

Coming off its victory over San Diego in the second round of the WCC men's tournament, Brigham Young University is set to take on Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Saturday. The teams split in regular-season play, with each team winning on its home court. Playing on a neutral court in playoff action, this is the ultimate rubber match.

Gonzaga is coming off a dominating victory over Longwood, winning 92-60 on Feb. 27 as freshman guard Gary Bell Jr. put down 20 points. The Bulldogs will be looking to make it two in a row against BYU. The WCC championship game is scheduled for Monday, March 5.

Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Game Time: 11 p.m. ET

TV Schedule: ESPN2/ESPN3

For more, check out BYU Cougars blog Vanquish The Foe. For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

WCC Tournament 2012: San Francisco vs. St. Mary's Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Saint Mary's Gaels are already very much in the NCAA tournament after winning the West Coast Conference regular season title, but they need a win on Saturday to maintain a high seed. They're up against an opponent that they have defeated twice in the regular season and who they will be expected to defeat again. The San Fransisco Dons are no pushovers, but they will need their best to beat Saint Mary's on a neutral floor.

Because of the way the WCC tournament is set up, this is Saint Mary's first game in the tournament. The conference has nine basketball members, but instead of having one play-in game before the quarterfinals, the conference gives a bye to the top two seeds until this stage. Between their two wins over USF early in the season and the fact that they're rested, it would be surprising to see Saint Mary's fail to reach the WCC final.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, March 3. 9:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

TV: ESPN2, ESPN3

WCC Tournament 2012: All Four Top Seeds Contest Semifinals On Saturday

The West Coast Conference's wonderful seed protection scheme has worked to perfection. Four of the top five seeds in the tournament have made it to the semifinals, including the top three, which likely means that the WCC will be a three-bid conference this year. Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are all but locked in, thanks to the fact that it was impossible for them to suffer an embarrassing quarterfinal upset, while BYU's win over San Diego was likely enough to get them in.

Saint Mary's plays the early game against San Francisco, a team they have defeated twice this season. The two teams played in the final game of the regular season at San Francisco, where the Dons were able to keep things interesting, but SMC came away with a reasonably comfortable win. In the late game, BYU meet Gonzaga. The two teams split during the regular season, with each winning emphatically at home.

Schedule (ESPN2, ESPN3)

No. 1 Saint Mary's vs. No. 5 San Fransisco - 9:00 p.m. ET

No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 3 BYU - 11:30 p.m. ET

WCC Tournament 2012, BYU Vs. San Diego: Final Score, Cougars Sneak Through

The BYU Cougars were tested by the San Diego Toreros from start to finish in Friday night's West Coast Conference quarterfinal, but pulled out the victory at the end to advance in the tournament. They will play Gonzaga on Saturday, but almost more importantly than that, they avoided disaster and likely locked up an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. BYU's shaky free-throw shooting down the stretch kept San Diego in the game, but they did enough to hold on for a 73-68 win.

BYU senior Noah Hartsock did not start the game because of a lingering knee injury, but was absolutely spectacular off the bench and didn't look hobbled at all. He led all scorers with 19 points on 8-13 shooting and also grabbed five rebounds. Brandon Davies was excellent as well, scoring 16 points on 6-9 shooting.

San Diego was led in scoring by Dennis Kramer, who scored 17 points, but will be disappointed with his three-point shooting and the three-point shooting of the team as a whole. Kramer shot 1-7 from behind the arc, part of USD's disappointing 6-23 shooting from distance.

For more, check out BYU Cougars blog Vanquish The Foe.

WCC Tournament 2012, BYU Vs. San Diego: Score Tied At Halftime

Somehow, despite the solid play of their opposition and their poor shooting from outside, the San Diego Toreros are tied with the BYU Cougars at halftime of their WCC tournament quarterfinal clash. USD shot just 1-9 from behind the arc while BYU shot 4-9, but the Toreros got to the line and scored off offensive rebounds on a couple of occasions. They haven't even looked terrific, but they have BYU on upset alert. At the break, it's tied 34-34.

Five-foot-seven freshman Christopher Anderson has been absolutely terrific for San Diego. In addition to his seven points, he has four rebounds, four steals and three assists. One of those rebounds was an improbable offensive rebound and putback on which he was fouled, leading to a three-point play. BYU's Brock Zylstra leads all scorers with 10 points.

This isn't a must-win for BYU, but they're going to give the NCAA tournament selection committee some difficult decisions to make if they don't pull out a victory. BYU is in the tournament at the moment, but isn't bubble-proof if their conference mates Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, along with Murray State, Harvard and some of the top teams in the Missouri Valley and CAA, don't grab auto-bids.

For more, check out BYU Cougars blog Vanquish The Foe.

WCC Tournament 2012, Loyola Marymount Vs. San Francisco Final Score: Dons Outlast Lions

The San Francisco Dons have a date with WCC top seed Saint Mary's after downing the Loyola Marymount Lions in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament. The first half was extremely tight, with Loyola Marymount taking a one-point lead into halftime, but the Lions went ice cold from behind the arc in the second half while San Francisco starting hitting their threes. That was ultimately the difference, and USF won 67-60.

Ashley Hamilton led LMU with 14 points on 6-12 shooting and Anthony Ireland had a solid game with 13 points, but his poor shot selection in the final minute prevented his team from coming back in the game.

Michael Williams was terrific for the Dons, leading all scorers with 19 points. Most of those came from three-point range as he shot 5-8 from behind the arc. As a team, USF shot 11-26 from behind the arc while LMU shot just 4-15, struggling considerably from distance in the second half.

WCC Tournament 2012, Loyola Marymount Vs. San Francisco: Lions Lead Dons, 35-34, After Exciting First Half

As expected, the game between the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds — the Loyola Marymount Lions and the San Francisco Dons — has been a tight, exciting contest. The winner of this one will take on the top seed in the West Coast Conference, Saint Mary's, Saturday night, and it's anyone's game after one half of basketball. The Lions lead the Dons, 35-34.

The Lions have gotten a balanced scoring attack, with four players having scored at least six points, including an eight-point, five-rebound first half from Ashley Hamilton. C.J. Blackwell came off the bench for six points of his own, but two of them were on one of the wildest shots you'll ever see.

The Dons' Michael Williams is leading all scorers with 12 points on 4-7 shooting, including 3-5 from distance. The Dons are close in this one largely because of their deep shooting — they've made 7-15 three-point attempts — which is made even stranger by the fact that they went just 1-5 from the free-throw line in the half. This one should be exciting down to the final buzzer.

For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

ANIMATED: C.J. Blackwell Is A Magician

WCC Tournament 2012: San Diego Vs. BYU Game Time, TV Schedule And More

Las Vegas is playing host to the 2012 West Coast Conference tournament. On Monday, a conference champion will be crowned. The first two rounds of play are already in the books and the quarterfinal matchups take place on Friday night, with two teams advancing to the semis on Saturday and two teams packing their bags to head home.

The sixth-seeded San Diego Toreros easily dispatched the Pepperdine Waves on Thursday night, earning the right to face the BYU Cougars on Friday. The Cougars enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed.

The game will top off at 11:00 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPNU. You can find the full schedule and details on the WCC tournament by clicking right here.

Stick with this StoryStream for more on the 2012 WCC Tournament. For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

WCC Tournament 2012: USF Vs. Loyola Marymount Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The 2012 West Coast Conference has already gotten their annual championship tournament off to a thrilling start. First round games were played on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Las Vegas and three teams have already advanced to the quarterfinals.

The first quarterfinal match on Saturday will pit the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds against one another. The San Francisco Dons defeated the Portland Pilots on Thursday to earn the right to take on the fourth-seeded Loyola Marymount Lions. The winner of this match will advance to the semifinals and face off against regular-season WCC champs the St. Mary's Gaels.

USF and LMU will tip off at 9:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

Stick with this StoryStream for more on the 2012 WCC Tournament. For all news and information regarding college hoops, please visit SB Nation's dedicated NCAA basketball hub.

WCC Tournament 2012: Day 3 Schedule Offers Opportunity To Play Bracket's Top Seeds

The 2012 WCC Tournament is off to a predictable start as the top seeds have already advance through the first two rounds of the bracket, but Friday's schedule offers a couple more compelling match-ups. The top seeds still won't be in action, but the Day 3 games do offer the opportunity to play them on Saturday.

Friday's first game features the San Francisco Dons taking on the Loyola Marymount Lions in a game between the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in a game scheduled to be televised at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The winner of that game will face the tournament's top seed, the St. Mary's Gaels, on Saturday.

The nightcap in the WCC Tournament will take place between the BYU Cougars and San Diego Toreros as they look to advance through to meet up with the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. San Diego defeated Pepperdine by 22 points on Thursday to advance to Friday's game.

Stick with this StoryStream for more on the 2012 WCC Tournament. Visit SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes on March Madness.

WCC Tournament 2012, San Diego Vs. Pepperdine: Johnny Dee Scores 30 As Toreros Win, 76-54

Freshman Johnny Dee scored 30 points to lead the sixth-seeded San Diego Toreros over the seventh-seeded Pepperdine Waves 76-54 on Day 2 of the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.

Dee did most of his damage from long distance, draining 6-of-9 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. He shot 9-for-14 overall, setting the tone for San Diego's blistering 56.3 shooting percentage from the field. Junior Ken Rancifer was San Diego's only other player to reach double-digits.

Senior Corbin Moore notched a double-double in the losing effort for Pepperdine, scoring 16 points with 12 rebounds before fouling out. Taylor Darby added 15 points with eight rebounds.

The Toreros (13-17, 7-9), who also defeated the Waves twice in the regular season, will now face third-seeded BYU on Friday night (11 p.m. ET, ESPNU). The Waves finished the season 10-19 (4-12) in Marty Wilson's first year as head coach.

For more on the WCC Tournament, be sure to check the league's tournament central site.

WCC Tournament 2012, Portland Vs. San Francisco Final Score: Dons Down Pilots, Will Face LMU

The fifth-seeded San Francisco Dons easily dispatched the Portland Pilots, the No. 8 seed, in the West Coast Conference tournament's second round Thursday night, 87-66. The Dons will play Friday night against the Loyola Marymount Lions, the tournament's fourth seed.

San Francisco used 19 points apiece from the two-headed monster of Rashad Green, who also added six rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Angelo Caloiaro. Cole Dickerson also grabbed 10 rebounds, five offensive, in 22 minutes off the bench to go along with eight points. The Dons were a well-oiled offensive machine, shooting a lights-out 50.8 percent from the field and 47.8 from long distance.

The Pilots, to their credit, didn't play a poor offensive game; they just couldn't stop the Dons from scoring, and doing so efficiently. They had 16 assists, but turned the ball over 15 times, which is not a ratio associated with success. They were led in scoring by Nemanja Mitrovic with his 16 points off the bench. No Pilots starters reached double figures in scoring.

Stick with this StoryStream for on the 2012 WCC Tournament. Visit SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes on March Madness.

WCC Tournament 2012, San Francisco Vs. Portland: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The eighth-seeded Portland Pilots will continue their long journey toward winning the 2012 West Coast Conference Tournament when they play their second game of the postseason Thursday against the fifth-seeded San Francisco Dons (18-12 overall, 8-8 WCC).

On Wednesday night, the Pilots (7-23 overall, 3-13 WCC) defeated the WCC No. 9 Santa Clara, 74-70, on the strength of Ryan Nicholas' 24 points and 11 rebounds. It was the team's fourth win against a WCC team this season, with two of the three wins in the regular season also coming against Santa Clara..

San Francisco blew out Portland at home, 104-70, on Jan. 12, but escaped with a 72-71 victory on Jan. 21. San Francisco's signature win of the season (so far) came Feb. 18 when they defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs, 66-65. However, they are coming off a loss to the St. Mary's Gaels, 67-60.

Location: Orleans Arena - Las Vegas, NV

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: BYUtv

Stick with this StoryStream for on the 2012 WCC Tournament. Visit SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes on March Madness.

WCC Tournament 2012, San Diego Vs. Pepperdine: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The 2012 West Coast Conference tournament continues on Thursday, with Pepperdine and San Diego meeting in the second round. Due to a format that rewards regular-season records by dropping higher seeds into the tournament as the rounds progress, many of the early matchups are between bottom-feeders, weeding out the lower seeds before the bracket begins in earnest.

San Diego and Pepperdine are two such bottom-feeders this season, with each finishing the year well off the pace set by Saint Mary's. The Waves' and Toreros' only hope for a magical, if unlikely, trip to the NCAA tournament is by way of the WCC's auto-bid.

Pepperdine comes into the matchup as the underdog after finishing the regular season with a 10-18 record, including a 4-12 mark in conference. San Diego was a bit better on the year, finishing 12-17 overall and 7-9 record in conference.

Here's the information for Thursday night's matchup.

Location: Orleans Arena - Las Vegas, NV

Time: 11 p.m. ET

TV: BYUtv, ESPNFC

Odds: San Diego by 2

For more on the WCC Tournament, be sure to check the league's tournament central site.

WCC Tournament 2012: Portland's Victory Sets Bracket For Day 2 Schedule

The 2012 West Coast Conference Tournament continues on Thursday with Day 2 of its schedule. The No. 8 Portland Pilots moved on to the second round of the WCC Tournament by virtue of defeating the No. 9 Santa Clara Broncos on Wednesday night. They will play the San Francisco Dons in Game 1 of the night and will look for another great performance from Ryan Nicholas, who scored 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds on Wednesday night.

The No. 6 San Diego Toreros play the Pepperdine Waves in Game 2, which is part of the bottom half of the bracket.

Due to the league's nine-team membership and unique tournament setup, the highest-seeded teams don't play until the semifinals. The top-seeded St. Mary's Gaels and the second-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs won't play their first postseason games until Saturday. Until then, the low seeds will thin the herd through the quarterfinals on Friday.

Second Round - Thursday, March 1 (BYUtv)

No. 5 San Fransisco vs. No. 8 Portland - 9 p.m. ET
No. 6 San Diego vs. No. 7 Pepperdine - 11 p.m. ET

For more on the WCC Tournament, be sure to check the league's tournament central site. Visit SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes as we enter March Madness.

Santa Clara Vs. Portland Final Score: WCC Tournament Sees Pilots Advance, 74-70

The 2012 West Coast Conference Tournament began Wednesday night with the lone first-round matchup that featured the No. 8 Portland Pilots defeating the No. 9 Santa Clara Broncos, 74-70. Because the conference has just nine teams, the opening round features the bottom two teams battling it out to stay in the bracket.

If a player can have a near-perfect night (however vaguely defined), Portland's Ryan Nicholas came close to having it. He led all scorers with 24 points while doing it on 10-of-11 shooting. He pulled down 11 rebounds to finish with the only double-double of the night. Kevin Bailey and Tanner Riley added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Broncos had a quartet of double-digit scorers, but the team could have used more from Evan Roguemore. While he led the team with 21 points, 11 of those came on free throws. He was just 4-of-18 from the field. Niyi Harrison and Raymond Cowels joined the scoring with 15 and 11 points each.

The Pilots will be back on the court Thursday to take on the No. 5 San Francisco Dons. Due to the WCC's tournament setup, the top two teams are inserted into the bracket during the semifinals round, which explains why Portland is not facing the No. 1 seed in the next round.

Stick with this StoryStream for on the 2012 WCC Tournament. Visit SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more news and notes on March Madness.

West Coast Conference Tournament Preview: Dreaming Of A Gonzaga-St. Mary's Final

Everything you need to know about the top-heavy West Coast Conference tournament, which starts Wednesday night outside of Las Vegas.

WCC Tournament 2012: Portland Vs. Santa Clara Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Portland Pilots and Santa Clara Broncos will be featured in the first first game of the 2012 WCC Tournament when it tips off Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The bracket's first round games won't be featured on television, but full coverage of the game can be found on the tournament's website when the game tips off at 9 p.m. ET from the Orleans Arena in Paradise, NV outside of Las Vegas.

The Pilots enter the game as the eight seed, lugging along with them a dismal 6-23 overall record after going just 3-13 during the conference schedule. Portland, led on the sidelines by head coach Eric Reveno, will look to make an epic run through the tournament behind sophomore Ryan Nicholas after the 6-foot-7 forward averaged a team-high 11.2 points and 7.5 rebounds during the regular season.

Santa Clara ended up with the No. 9 seed in the WCC Tournament thanks to being unable to win a single conference game on the way to an 8-21 overall record. The Broncos enter Wednesday night's game with a 17-game losing streak, though they aren't a complete disaster as they were able to post a solid win over Villanova earlier in the season.

The winner of Wednesday night's game will advance to face the No. 5 San Francisco Dons on Thursday night as they look to continue through the WCC bracket and on to an unlikely berth in the NCAA tournament.

For more on the WCC Tournament, be sure to check the league's tournament central site.

WCC Tournament 2012: Schedule Tips Off With Santa Clara And Portland

The 2012 WCC Tournament will tip off Wednesday evening in Vegas with the Portland Pilots and Santa Clara Broncos taking part in a matchup between the bracket's No. 8 and 9 seeds.

WCC Tournament 2012: Schedule And Bracket Announced

Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, the top seeds, have multi-round byes in the West Coast Conference tournament.