The 2017 West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are quickly approaching as both USF squads look to finish out the regular season strong leading into the tournament to be held Mar. 2-7 at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
 
Fans in town for the festivities are invited to USF's pre-game tailgates. Two hours prior to each men's and women's basketball game during the tournament, USF will host a pre-game tailgate that is open to all Dons fans. There will be complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. Tailgates will take place in the parking lot south of the Orleans Arena. More information on the tailgate schedule will be provided after the tournament brackets are released. 
 
Stay tuned to USFDons.com/DonsInVegas for more information or visit OrleansArena.com to purchase your tournament tickets.  

The Dons' men enter the home stretch of the regular season at 17-8 overall and 7-5 in WCC action, putting them in a tie for fourth place with Santa Clara. USF, which is riding a three-game winning streak following victories over Pacific, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, sits at third in the WCC in scoring offense, averaging 74.0 points per game, while senior guard Ronnie Boyce ranks among the top-10 in the conference at 14.6 points per contest. Freshman Jordan Ratinho is trying to do his part in leading the Dons toward the WCC tournament, as one of the conference's most productive marksmen this year, shooting 45.1 percent from beyond the arc, second-best in the conference.
 
With No. 1 Gonzaga (24-0, 12-0 WCC) and No. 20 Saint Mary's (21-2, 11-2 WCC) battling it out for the tournament's top seed, the Dons embark on their final six regular season games with their sights set on the wide open race for a No. 3 seed, which currently has BYU (17-8, 8-4 WCC) and Santa Clara (13-12, 7-5 WCC) bunched together with USF, and LMU (11-12, 4-8 WCC) and San Diego (11-13, 4-8 WCC) not far behind.
 
On the women's side, the race to the finish is still ripe for separation as the Dons sit at 13-10 overall and 7-5 in conference play, good for fourth place, after winning three of their last five. USF is joined by Saint Mary's (14-9, 9-3 WCC) and BYU (14-9, 8-4 WCC) in pursuit of first-place Gonzaga (19-4, 10-2 WCC). Further muddying the postseason picture is the fact that five of the six remaining WCC squads remain within three games of USF in the standings, making the regular season home stretch all the more intriguing, a home stretch that will have the Dons playing four of their final six contests at home.  
 
Senior guard Rachel Howard, who ranks fourth in the WCC at 16.3 points per game, has been steadily climbing her way up the USF record books, where she currently sits tied for 17^th all-time with 1,158 career points and third all-time with 161 career three-pointers made. Looking ahead at a conference tournament that could easily come down to many narrow decisions, the Dons hope to be in good shape as they lead the WCC at 77.3 percent from the free throw line.      
 
Last year, the USF women came into the tournament as a No. 6 seed and proceeded to knock off each of the top-seeded teams en route to the WCC crown. Don't miss your chance to see the Dons make another magical run to the tournament title, so plan your trip to Vegas today!

Visit USFDons.com/DonsInVegas for complete tournament information, in addition to other helpful links for your stay in Las Vegas.
 
2017 WCC Championships Schedule
Women's First Round & Quarterfinals | Thursday, March 2
12 p.m. - Women's Game 1 -  No. 8 vs. No. 9 - TheW.tv
2 p.m. - Women's Game 2 - No. 7 vs. No. 10 - TheW.tv
6 p.m. - Women's Quarterfinal 1 -  No. 3 vs. No. 6 - TheW.tv
8 p.m. - Women's Quarterfinal 2 - No. 4 vs. No. 5 - TheW.tv

Women's Quarterfinals/Men's First Round | Friday, March 3
12 p.m. - Women's Quarterfinal 3 - No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 - TheW.tv
2 p.m. - Women's Quarterfinal 4 - No. 2 vs. No. 7/10 - TheW.tv
6 p.m. - Men's Game 1 - No. 8 vs. No. 9 - TheW.tv
8 p.m. - Men's Game 1 - No. 7 vs. No. 10 - TheW.tv

Men's Quarterfinals | Saturday, March 4
1 p.m. - Men's Quarterfinal 1 - No. 3 vs. No. 6 - TheW.tv
3 p.m. - Men's Quarterfinal 2 - No. 4 vs. No. 5 - TheW.tv
7 p.m. - Men's Quarterfinal 3 - No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 - ESPN2//WatchESPN
9 p.m. - Men's Quarterfinal 4 - No. 2 vs. No. 7/10 - ESPN2//WatchESPN

Men's & Women's Semifinals | Monday, March 6
12 p.m. - Women's Semifinal 1 - TheW.tv
2 p.m. - Women's Semifinal 2 - TheW.tv
6 p.m. - Men's Semifinal 1 - ESPN//WatchESPN
8:30 p.m. - Men's Semifinal 2 - ESPN2//WatchESPN

Finals | Tuesday, March 7
1 p.m. - Women's Championship Game - ESPNU//WatchESPN
6 p.m. - Men's Championship Game - ESPN//WatchESPN