WCC play pits Gaels against Broncos

Diamon Simpson is averaging a double-double this season for Saint Mary's.

With Gonzaga suffering a number of setbacks in recent weeks, the favorite to take the title in the West Coast Conference has to be the Saint Mary's Gaels at this point. The team will try to get off on the right foot in league play tonight as it hosts the Santa Clara Broncos at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga.

Aside from a loss to UTEP at the 76 Classic in Anaheim back in late November, the Gaels have put together a remarkable season thus far with 13 victories. There have been some weak opponents along the way (Seattle Pacific, Vanguard, Morgan State) so perhaps the overall record for SMC is not completely indicative of the squad's abilities. Regardless, last Friday night the team made the trip to Bakersfield and barely made it back with an 80-74 victory over the Cal State program. The win was the 10th in a row for the team as it heads into the WCC portion of the season.

As for the Broncos, they've been playing in streaks and the current run finds the team having lost back- to-back outings. Last Friday it was a 73-68 setback to Harvard on the road and then two days later the team followed that with a 58-54 loss to New Hampshire before returning to the West Coast. ... Continue