Aug. 17, 2005
SAN BRUNO, Calif. - With the West Coast Conference Basketball Championships heading to the Pacific Northwest for a two-year stint, the WCC announced details regarding ticket sales, hotel information, and game times for the 2006 tournament. The 2006 WCC Tournament will be held at Gonzaga University, while the University of Portland will serve as host of the 2007 tournament. The dates for the 2006 tournament will be March 2-6, 2006, and the dates for the 2007 tournament will be March 1-5, 2007.
Gonzaga hosts the WCC's premier event for the first time at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The women's championship will run March 2-5, 2006, while the men will square-off March 3-6, 2006.
2006 WCC Tournament Ticket Prices
Men's Event
All-Session Pass - Reserved -- $65.00
Men's Single Session - Reserved -- $20.00
Men's Single Session - Youth -- $7.00
Men's Single Game- WCC Student -- $7.00
Women's Event
All-Session Pass - General Admission -- $30.00
Women's Single Session - General Admission -- $8.00
Women's Single Session - Student/Youth -- $5.00
Women's Single Game- WCC Student -- $5.00
*All-session tickets are on sale now through each WCC institution's ticket office. Please note that any remaining single-session tickets will not go on sale until the Monday prior to the tournament. To ensure a seat with fans from your favorite WCC team, contact the following:
Gonzaga - (509) 323-4202
Loyola Marymount - (310) 338-6095
Pepperdine - (310) 506-4935
Portland - (503) 943-7525
Saint Mary's - (925) 631-4392
San Diego - (619) 260-7550
San Francisco - (415) 422-2873
Santa Clara - (408) 554-4660
Men's Championship Format
For the fourth consecutive season, the men's championship will use an 8-Team/Play-In format. Under the format that was adopted in 2003, the #5 through #8 seeds will compete in the opening round to determine who will advance to the next round of the tournament. Waiting for the winners in the quarterfinals will be the #3 and #4 seeds, who will have first round byes. The winners of the quarterfinal match-ups will go head-to-head with the #1 and #2 seeds, who will have byes through the first two rounds of the tournament.
Women's Championship Format
For the second straight year the tournament will use the traditional No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed format for the women's championship. All eight WCC schools will play on the first day of the tournament with the No. 1 seed facing the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed facing the No. 7 seed, the No. 3 seed facing the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed facing the No. 5 seed. The women will play the first round on March 2, 2006 with a day off on March 3rd. Play will resume with the semifinals on March 4th and the championship game on March 5th.
2006 WCC Tournament Schedule
March 2 (Thu)
Women's First Round Session - 12:00 pm*
March 3 (Fri)
Men's First Round Session - 5:30 pm
March 4 (Sat)
Women's Semifinal Session - 12:00 pm*
Men's Quarterfinal Session - 5:30 pm
March 5 (Sun)
Women's Championship - 1:00 pm
Men's Semifinal Session - 6:00 pm (Semifinal No. 2 to tip-off at 8:30 pm)
March 6 (Mon)
Men's Championship - 6:00 p.m.
* - The second game starts 30 minutes after the first game (Game times are subject to change due to television)
2006 WCC Fan Hotel Information
The West Coast Conference has partnered with the Red Lion Inn at Park and the Red Lion River Inn as the Official Fan Hotels for the 2006 WCC Basketball Tournament. Two excellent and affordable rates have been negotiated especially for WCC fans: a rate of $121.95 at the Red Lion Inn at Park, and a rate of $108.95 at the Red Lion River Inn. These fan rates will be available until Friday, February 3, 2006.
Rotating Tournament Site
In 2003, the WCC Executive Committee decided to rotate the conference's premier event between the league's three West regions on a two-year basis. The 2006 and 2007 WCC Tournaments will be held in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Southern California in 2008 and 2009 and to the Bay Area in 2010 and 2011. The 2006 tournament marks the 20th anniversary for the men's tournament, and the 15th anniversary of the women's championship.
The WCC Tournament has been held in the Pacific Northwest on only one other occasion. The 1992 tournament was held at the University of Portland, with Pepperdine University edging Gonzaga University, 73-70, in the championship game. In 2003, the University of San Diego became the first-ever host institution to win the men's tournament, while the Santa Clara University women's team captured the 2005 tournament title.
