SPOKANE, Wash. — Drew Timme had 23 points and nine rebounds, Andrew Nembhard added 21 points, and top-ranked Gonzaga beat Santa Clara 81-69 to win its 10th straight West Coast Conference regular-season title. Rasir Bolton added 18 points for Gonzaga.
The Zags have now won 16 straight overall and 67 straight at home. They're also the current front-runner for top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
PJ Pipes scored 27 points and Jalen Williams had 15 for Santa Clara. The team is third in the WCC and fighting for its first postseason tournament berth since 2013.
Gonzaga closes out the regular season on the road against two of the top teams in the WCC. The Zags are in San Francisco on Feb. 24 and at Saint Mary’s on Feb. 26. Both teams will be hoping for an upset and a chance to bolster their case for the NCAA tournament.
Gonzaga, Auburn lead NCAA men's committee's initial rankings
Gonzaga, Auburn, Arizona and Kansas hold No. 1 seeds in the initial rankings for the committee that will select the field for next month’s 68-team men's NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs were the top overall seed ahead of the Tigers in rankings released Saturday by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. Committee chairman Tom Burnett says the margin between them is “razor thin." Those two teams have held the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll for the past five weeks.
The announcement was made prior to Auburn's loss on Saturday.
Reigning national champion Baylor, Kentucky, Purdue and Duke were the No. 2 seeds in the four bracket projections.
Upcoming Gonzaga men’s basketball schedule
- Feb. 24: Gonzaga at San Francisco
- Feb. 26: Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s