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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s did their tango in the WCC final once again Tuesday.
After the Saint Mary’s Gaels took the league title last year with a win over the Zags at Orleans Arena, Gonzaga returned the favor tonight with a 58-51 win.
It was not exactly an artistic victory, but the seven-point win gives Gonzaga (25-8) an automatic berth in the March Madness Big Dance.
Saint Mary’s had a fabulous season. And with a sparkling 28-5 record, even with a loss to their WCC nemesis, the Gaels will find themselves at the Dance as well.
Next year’s WCC tourney in Las Vegas will be the final one for league power Gonzaga.
What will ACC Commissioner Stu Jackson do to keep fans coming to the WCC tournament when Gonzaga and its legion of traveling fans will no longer be around. Zags Nation packed Orleans Arena this week.
Jackson: “The first thing to do is attack it before they leave and we have done that this season. We were very focused this year, coming into this tournament, dating back to last summer, coming up with a proactive ticket sales plan in anticipation that post BYU and in anticipation when Gonzaga leaves.
“While I’m not privy to the data right now, I do think our ticket sales, at least for this tournament, we may be in a position we have increased sales over last year and reached levels of two years ago,” Jackson said.
“That doesn’t account for the loss for potential tickets of Gonzaga, but we’ve got a strategy in place that we will continue to build upon so that when they depart in 2026, we are at least position with a framework for adding tickets and putting butts in seats.”
LVSportsBiz.com is off to the Mountain West tourney Wednesday for a 4 PM matchup between the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels and Air Force Academy.