agree with smc here. If you win the regular season, that likely means you beat GU in Spokane. That gives you a solid argument for an at large bid. And if I understand your conference tournament seeding correctly, if you finish 1st or second in the regular season standings, and assuming GU is one of the other 2 top seeds, the only way you play them is in the WCC Championship game, so a defeat of the Zags does not make your automatic bid chances easier, it flat out guarantees one. And barring a complete collpase by GU, they are in as an at large right now. But a loss in the WCC tournament likely bounces them from a 3-4 seed to a 5-7. Such is life as a mid-major, even if you are Gonzaga. The margin for error is slim.

voice