Bracketology: Bubble teams will be sweating these 5 conference tourneys

SPOKANE, WA - FEBRUARY 23: Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke (15) works against BYU forward Yoeli Childs (23) before scoring during the game between the BYU Cougars and the Gonzaga Bulldogs played on February 23, 2019 in Spokane, Washington at the McCarthey Athletic Center. (Photo by Robert Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2 of 6

SPOKANE, WA – FEBRUARY 23: Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke (15) works against BYU forward Yoeli Childs (23) before scoring during the game between the BYU Cougars and the Gonzaga Bulldogs played on February 23, 2019 in Spokane, Washington at the McCarthey Athletic Center. (Photo by Robert Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. West Coast Conference

Dates: March 7-12

Location: Las Vegas, NV

Favorite: Gonzaga

The first tournament we’ll keep an eye on is the WCC Tournament, which begins on March 7 in Las Vegas. The WCC has traditionally been a threat to send multiple teams to the dance, with St. Mary’s and BYU earning at-larges in recent years, but the league hasn’t been great this season.

Gonzaga has absolutely dominated the conference this season, clinching the top seed in the tournament well in advance of the end of the regular season. The Bulldogs are also atop the polls thanks to a massive winning streak and have only lost to North Carolina and Tennessee this season.

The WCC Tournament heavily favors the top seeds, with Gonzaga earning a bye all the way until the semifinals on March 11. Gonzaga only needs to win twice to lock up their ticket to March Madness, but if they fall they are definitely taking a spot from a bubble team.

The top teams to watch outside of Gonzaga are St. Mary’s, BYU, and San Francisco. Two of them figure to have shots at Gonzaga, and if one of them slays the Bulldogs it will be costly for a bubbler.