San Diego Basketball enters WCC tournament facing a familiar problem: Can the Toreros stop LMU’s shooting?

San Diego basketball begins its 2026 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championship run in Las Vegas against 10th-seeded Loyola Marymount, a matchup that arrives with an uncomfortable recent history: LMU won both regular-season meetings and did it with efficient shooting that San Diego struggled to disrupt.

What time is San Diego Basketball vs. Loyola Marymount, and how can fans watch?

The first-round game is scheduled for Thursday, March 5 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. One listing in the provided coverage places tipoff at 11: 30 p. m. ET, with the game airing on +. Another game note lists an 8: 30 p. m. start time at the same site and date. + will stream the broadcast with Roxy Bernstein on play-by-play and Dan Dickau as analyst. A separate radio call will be available with Jack Cronin.

What the two regular-season games revealed about the matchup

San Diego enters the WCC tournament with direct evidence of how quickly the game can tilt against LMU. In the first meeting on Feb. 7 in Los Angeles, the Lions opened with a 17-0 burst in the first six minutes, and the Toreros never fully erased the gap in an 83-63 loss. San Diego’s second-half offense was productive—60% shooting (18-for-30)—but it was matched by LMU’s 61. 5% (16-for-26) after halftime, leaving little room for a sustained comeback. Even with San Diego holding LMU to five made three-pointers at a 22. 7% clip, the Lions’ overall efficiency prevented the game from tightening.

Two weeks later, the rematch on Feb. 21 in San Diego ended 77-65, and the shooting trend became harder to ignore. LMU shot 57. 8% from the field and 47. 1% from three in that game, while San Diego shot 43. 6% overall. The Toreros did show they could respond to adversity—fighting back from an early deficit and tying the game halfway through the second period—but the Lions maintained control behind a “strong shooting night” that San Diego did not match possession for possession.

San Diego’s leading scorers in that second meeting were graduate guards Toneari Lane (19 points) and Adrian McIntyre, in a game framed as senior night. Lane’s five three-pointers on eight attempts were the catalyst for the rally. Juanse Gorosito and Dominique Ford also reached double figures.

Who has the edge now, and what the numbers say about the stakes

The bracket positions and records in the provided materials show two teams near the bottom of the WCC standings meeting with elimination consequences. Loyola Marymount is listed as the No. 10 seed at 15-16 overall and 6-12 in the WCC. San Diego is listed as the No. 11 seed at 11-20 overall and 5-13 in the WCC.

The series history adds another layer of pressure for San Diego basketball. The Toreros trail in the all-time series, with the game notes listing a 56-59 mark, and San Diego is 1-4 against LMU in the WCC Tournament. The same notes emphasize a desire to “avenge” last season’s tournament result while also confronting the immediate fact that LMU swept this season’s two matchups.

One set of betting models included in the provided context projects a competitive but tilted matchup: Loyola Marymount is listed as a 5. 5-point favorite, with an over/under of 145. 5 total points. That same model assigns Loyola Marymount a 68. 8% win probability and a 56. 9% probability to cover the spread, while also listing both teams’ against-the-spread records this season.

The statistical profile offered in that same material highlights areas of concern that intersect with what the two games showed on the floor. San Diego is listed with a 25% free throw rate this season—described as fifth-lowest among Division 1 teams—and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1. 0 since the start of the 2023-24 season, described as tied for sixth-lowest. In other words, San Diego basketball is entering a tournament game against an opponent that has already proven it can shoot efficiently, while the Toreros’ margins for error are constrained by limited trips to the line and a ball-security profile that does not naturally manufacture extra possessions.

LMU’s own profile suggests a team comfortable letting threes shape outcomes: it is credited with 256 made three-pointers this season, listed as fifth-most among West Coast Conference teams. Against a San Diego defense described in the same dataset as allowing 1. 39 points per shot since the start of the 2024-25 season—second-highest among Division 1 teams—the path for the Toreros becomes clearer but narrower: contest shots, reduce clean perimeter looks, and avoid the types of runs that decided earlier meetings.

San Diego’s recent form: strong offense, costly lapse

San Diego’s final regular-season game offered a snapshot of why a single tournament game can swing quickly. The Toreros lost 87-74 at Portland after leading by as many as 14 in the second half, then watching a 22-0 run flip the game. San Diego’s offense produced efficient totals—53. 6% shooting and 42. 9% from three, plus 24 assists—but the same game notes point to “untimely turnovers” and “a lapse on defense” as the turning point.

Individually, Assane Diop led San Diego with 16 points in that loss. Vuk Boskovic posted career highs with 14 points and seven assists, hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. For a tournament opener, those details matter because they show San Diego can generate quality shots and distribute the ball effectively in stretches—but also that a single extended breakdown can erase an otherwise efficient night.

What’s not negotiable for the Toreros in a one-and-done setting

The evidence in the head-to-head results points toward a straightforward but difficult challenge: San Diego basketball has to keep LMU from turning efficient shooting into decisive separation. In Los Angeles, the opening 17-0 run set the terms. In San Diego, LMU’s 57. 8% field-goal shooting and 47. 1% from three closed off the Toreros’ comeback window even as Lane and McIntyre produced big scoring nights.

This tournament game presents the same question with higher stakes. If San Diego can avoid early holes, limit the kind of high-percentage shooting nights that defined the series, and protect the ball in the critical middle possessions when runs form, the Toreros give themselves a chance to change the narrative. If not, the recent pattern—LMU creating separation through shot-making—will be difficult to break on Thursday in Las Vegas.