Stiffer competition awaits Gonzaga in WCC tournament

For eight of the past 10 years, the West Coast Conference basketball tournament has ended the same way: Gonzaga coach Mark Few climbs a ladder, scissors in hand, to snip the final strands of the net, signifying another title and trip to the NCAA Tournament.

But, with the WCC tourney set to begin today at the Orleans Arena, some think it could be another's turn to ascend the ladder.

Even Few, named the conference's Coach of the Year last week in his 11th season guiding the Zags, admits that winning the tournament won't be easy.

"It was a long, hard haul earning the No. 1 seed," Few said after Gonzaga locked up its 10th straight regular-season title. "It's the youngest and most inexperienced group we've taken into league, and I was very concerned about how they'd handle the challenge.

"But I'm very proud of this group. Now, we have another challenge facing us in Vegas. You can go five deep and find someone who legitimately can step up and win this thing."

Portland coach Eric Reveno said Gonzaga remains dangerous but isn't invincible.

"I think they're vulnerable like everyone," Reveno said of the 18th-ranked Bulldogs (25-5). "But they've responded well to taking everyone's best shot."

Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said the league is better from one through five, increasing the chance for an upset. The Gaels are the No. 2 seed and, like Gonzaga, won't play their first tournament game until Sunday.

"I think the teams coming out of the four and five slots can make some noise in this tournament," Bennett said, referring to San Francisco and Loyola Marymount. The Dons and the Lions have regular-season home wins over Gonzaga, and San Francisco played Gonzaga tough in a 75-69 loss Saturday in Spokane, Wash.

"We've had some success against them, but they're very tough," Dons coach Rex Walters said of Gonzaga. "They can score a lot of different ways, and to beat them you've got to make shots and you've got to get stops."

There is a lot of basketball to be played before Gonzaga and Saint Mary's step onto the Orleans Arena court Sunday.

Loyola Marymount, led by former UNLV coach Max Good, won five of its last seven regular-season games, including a 74-66 victory over Gonzaga on Feb. 18, and could be dangerous in the tournament. The Lions open against eighth-seeded Pepperdine at 6 p.m. today.

"We've played pretty well down the stretch," Good said. "We had a lot of injuries earlier in the year, but we've gotten most of our guys back, and they've gotten more proficient as the year's gone on. They've worked extremely hard."

A limited number of tickets that were returned from the schools will be made available to the public at the Orleans Arena box office. Prices are $50 for today's and Saturday's sessions, $55 for Sunday's semifinals and $65 for Monday's championship game.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.