We're in Las Vegas for the final of the West Coast Conference tournament between the Saint Mary's Gaels and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, with the winner punching their ticket to the Big Dance, a spot in this year's NCAA tournament.

Ordinarily, this wouldn't be too important from an Australian point of view but Saint Mary's has, over the past decade or so, become the de facto choice for junior Aussie players to ply their trade in Division 1 college basketball.

With five Australians, including reigning West Coast player of the year Matthew Dellavedova, presently on coach Randy Bennett's roster there was plenty of interest both here and back home to see if the Gaels could create a slice of school history.

Never before had Saint Mary's won both the West Coast Conference regular season and conference tournament titles and anticipation was high that this was the Gaels' year.

Watching both teams an hour before tip-off and it becomes readily apparent that Bennett has instilled a close-knit atmosphere in his team, with players huddling up at regular intervals to make sure they're all on the same page.

I get a chance to chat with ESPN analyst Sean Farnham - who is, incidentally, one of the most genuinely friendly guys you'll meet - before the game and while he refused to pick a winner, did insist he was just hoping for "a great game between two really good teams."

Let's just say he got his wish. And then some.

The best thing about college hoops is its complete lack of artifice. There is simply no need for a PA announcer to tell fans when to cheer or when to applaud, there's no gimmicks during timeouts, no mascots firing t-shirts into the crowd, or even a (shudder) kiss-cam. There's just the game, and the fans, all of whom are cheering madly from the start to the finish, with musical accompaniments from the two teams' respective brass bands.

And right on cue, the Gaels' band strikes up their fight song as the players stride onto the court, although, judging by entrance reactions, the Zags support contingent outnumbers Saint Mary's by a fair margin.

In contrast, oddly enough, Gonzaga's band puts out a brassy rendition of Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name.

As the ball is tipped, the crowd is in full voice, creating a kind of reverberation around the small Orleans Arena and for Saint Mary's, the game couldn't start better, with Australian guard Jorden Page nailing a shot-clock beating three to get the scoring underway.

The Gaels look to create mismatches at every opportunity, with Dellavedova running the show, he hits fellow Aussie Clint Steindl for another three and then drives the lane himself to give his team an early 17-12 lead.

But Gonzaga aren't going to let go of this game without a fight and claw their way back into the contest as the Gaels suffer through an offensive drought, their first, but certainly not the last of the evening.

After brilliantly setting up a team-mate (who promptly missed the easy dunk) Dellavedova cans a three on the next trip down the floor and, it seems, just to outdo the Gonzaga band, the Gaels brass section break out their version of Rolling In The Deep.

It is to little avail though as Gonzaga's ultra-efficient offense starts to click and they take a commanding 34-26 lead while the Gaels continue to sputter.

Improbably, it is Saint Mary's turn to make a charge, with Dellavedova nailing a big triple to help force a 36-36 half-time tie.

It's been a half full of twists and turns and yet amazingly, the fun has only just started.

With more than a few media types having dismissed the Gaels' chances at half-time, there are plenty of red faces on press row after a stunning offensive burst to open the second half gives Saint Mary's a 46-38 advantage.

Oh, remember what I said about college basketball not needing any gimmicks during timeouts? Forget I said anything. We've just been subjected to a Guinness World Record attempt for, get this, 'Most simultaneous high-fives'. I'm not sure which is worse, the fact they attempted it, or the fact they succeeded.

America folks.

(For the sake of history, the new record is now 3504. Let's just move on.)

Back to the game and it's the Zags turn to make a run, cutting the lead to just four, 52-48, with about 10 minutes to play.

In the chaos of what has become a very loud arena, Dellavedova exudes calm, knocking in two straight runners to keep the Gaels' nose in front.

Minutes later, the Maryborough native is at it again, with Dellavedova hitting another running bank shot. He is yet to take a breather.

Every Gaels possession has gone through him but with under 10 seconds to play and clinging grimly to a three-point lead, Dellavedova coughs up possession on a contested jump ball and the Bulldogs have a chance to force overtime.

Which, naturally, they do on a last-second, desperation three from the very impressive Elias Harris.

Cue bedlam, mayhem and utter, utter chaos.

Gaels fans are in despair, just dumbstruck. Zags fans? The polar opposite. March madness in all its glory.

With momentum on the side of the Bulldogs heading into the fifth period, it is going to take something very special from the Gaels to win from here.

So of course, with 40 seconds left and a loose ball to be won with the game tied at 72 apiece, who wants it the most? Dellavedova. Who then nails two clutch free throws to give Saint Mary's a glimpse of history.

It's desperation time now for the crestfallen Zags and after missing several shots, are forced to foul Page and Dellavedova, who knock in all four free throws to clinch what has been an unbelievable, exhilarating contest.

But what was even more impressive was Dellavedova's reaction when the final buzzer sounded.

Yes, he was happy but there was a look of quiet determination on his face as well.

This kid has more to do.