College basketball rankings: Santa Clara is one of 'last four in' heading into WCC final vs. Gonzaga
The Broncos could spoil the Zags' last game in the WCC and clench an NCAA Tournament bid in the process
Gonzaga has won 22 West Coast Conference Tournament championships over the years, including 17 of the past 23 titles. It's been an incredible run.
But it's coming to a close.
That is, of course, because the Zags are moving to the remade Pac-12 after this season, meaning their appearance in Tuesday night's championship game of the WCC Tournament will be their last. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 ET. The opponent is Santa Clara.
Santa Clara?
Yes, the opponent is Santa Clara, which upset Saint Mary's 76-71 in Monday's WCC Tournament semifinal to move to 26-5 on the season and, more importantly, into the projected bracket at CBS Sports. The Broncos are now one of the "last four in" the tournament field, according to CBS Sports Bracketology. That suggests Santa Clara's at-large hopes will be alive but very much up in the air if the Broncos lose to the Zags. If they win, though, they'll be guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
That's great stuff from Broncos coach Herb Sendek.
Saint Mary's losing to Santa Clara opened a spot in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings that I opted to fill with BYU. The Cougars are coming off of Saturday's 82-76 win over Texas Tech at the Marriott Center. They'll return to the court Tuesday to play Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, where they're listed as 10.5-point favorites. If they win, they'll play West Virginia on Wednesday.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 76-61 win over North Carolina. The Blue Devils' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 29-2 |
| 2 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 27 points and three rebounds in Sunday's 90-80 win over Michigan State. The Wolverines' next game will be Friday in the quarterfina;s of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 29-2 |
| 3 |  | Koa Peat finished with 25 points and four assists in Saturday's 89-79 win at Colorado. The Wildcats' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 29-2 |
| 4 |  | Thomas Haugh finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 84-77 win at Kentucky. The Gators' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 25-6 |
| 5 |  | Chase McCarty finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 82-75 win at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 26-5 |
| 6 |  | Sam Hoiberg finished with 15 points and five steals in Sunday's 84-75 win over Iowa. The Cornhuskers' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 26-5 |
| 7 |  | Jordan Scott missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Sunday's 90-80 loss at Michigan. The Spartans' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 25-6 |
| 8 |  | Alex Karaban missed all six shots he attempted in Saturday's 68-62 loss at Marquette. The Huskies' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. | -- | 27-4 |
| 9 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 86-65 win over Arizona State. The Cyclones' next game will be Wednesday against Cincinnati in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 25-6 |
| 10 |  | David Mirkovic finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday's 78-72 win at Maryland. The Illini's next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 24-7 |
| 11 |  | Malik Thomas finished with 16 points and two steals in Saturday's 76-72 win over Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 27-4 |
| 12 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 96-84 win over Auburn. The Crimson Tide's next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 23-8 |
| 13 |  | Graham Ike finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 65-56 win over Oregon State. The Zags' next game will be Tuesday against Santa Clara in the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament. | -- | 29-3 |
| 14 |  | Braden Smith missed 10 of the 18 shots he attempted in Saturday's 97-93 loss to Wisconsin. The Boilermakers' next game will be Thursday in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 23-8 |
| 15 |  | Tre White finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 104-85 win over Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game will be Wednesday against UCF in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 22-9 |
| 16 |  | Meleek Thomas finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 88-84 win at Missouri. The Razorbacks' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 23-8 |
| 17 |  | Zuby Ejiofor finished with 21 points and two rebounds in Friday's 72-65 win at Seton Hall. The Red Storm's next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. | -- | 25-6 |
| 18 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 25 points and three assists in Saturday's 86-82 win at Tennessee. The Commodores' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 24-7 |
| 19 |  | Eian Elmer finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's 110-108 overtime win at Ohio. The RedHawks' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. | -- | 31-0 |
| 20 |  | Christian Anderson missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 73-65 loss to TCU. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at BYU. | -- | 22-9 |
| 21 |  | Jonathan Powell missed all four shots he attempted in Saturday's 76-61 loss at Duke. The Tar Heels' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | 1 | 24-7 |
| 22 |  | John Blackwell finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 97-93 win at Purdue. The Badgers' next game will be Thursday in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. | 1 | 22-9 |
| 23 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 24 points and two assists in Saturday's 92-89 win at Miami. The Cardinals' next game will be Wednesday in the second round of the ACC Tournament. | 1 | 22-9 |
| 24 |  | Tru Washington missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Saturday's 92-89 loss to Louisville. The Hurricanes' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | 1 | 24-7 |
| 25 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie missed 17 of the 22 shots he attempted in Saturday's 86-82 loss to Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game will be Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament. | 1 | 21-10 |
| 26 |  | Robert Wright III finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 82-76 win over Texas Tech. The Cougars' next game will be Tuesday against Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. | NR | 21-10 |
