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You know all about the Power 6 conferences in college basketball. You hear about those more than any other, and those groups often dominate the March Madness conversation. There are 31 other conferences out there, however, and our goal is to get you up to speed on the teams, players and fights in the standings to know before the conference tournaments, Selection Sunday and the official start of March Madness.
It’s time for you to get to know a mid-major: this time, it’s the West Coast Conference.
The West Coast Conference faces upheaval next season when the reformed Pac-12 stocks itself with new members, but in 2025-2026 it’s still the home of Gonzaga. The men’s basketball team has been the conference champion and recipient of the WCC’s automatic bid to March Madness 22 times since 1995, has finished as regular-season champion 26 times since 1994 and has appeared in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament 27 times since ‘95. While the women’s team isn’t quite as accomplished, it’s still won the WCC tourney 10 times since 2007, has been the regular-season champ 20 times and appeared in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on 15 occasions.
That is a whole lot of history changing addresses, but as you will see, it also leaves quite the void to fill — which school can step up is a question for next year, though. The focus now is on which teams can do something in the present against either Gonzaga squad while that’s still a challenge to overcome.
All the West Coast teams make it to the conference tournament, but a stepladder setup is used where the top two seeds get a bye into the semifinals, the third- and fourth-ranked seeds get a bye to the quarterfinals, and the other teams have to fight it out with a play-in for the bottom two schools, and then second and third rounds for the other six teams to sort things out.
Leaders:
- Points Per Game: Graham Ike, Gonzaga, 19.7
- Rebounds Per Game: Andrew McKeever, Saint Mary’s, 9.5
- Assists Per Game: Joel Foxwell, Portland, 6.9 (T10th in D-I)
- Steals Per Game: Ty-Laur Johnson, San Diego, 2.3
- Blocks Per Game: Will Heimbrodt, Seattle, 2.5 (10th in D-I)
Gonzaga truly is just not in first place within the West Coast Convention by way of Feb. 11, as Santa Clara has another win and the identical variety of losses, at 13-1. Gonzaga is the crew to beat within the convention, nevertheless, because the Bulldogs rank sixth within the NCAA Analysis Device and eleventh in KenPom. And but, nothing is assured there. Gonzaga already misplaced to Portland (5-9, 213th in NET), and has had shut calls towards San Diego (5-9, 219th), Seattle (4-9, 134th) and San Francisco (6-7, 106th). Saint Mary’s (CA) solely misplaced to Gonzaga, 73-65, and is third within the WCC at 11-2 in addition to second within the convention in NET (twenty eighth).
The Bulldogs beat Santa Clara 89-77 for the Broncos’ lone loss in WCC play, however that’s a tourney-caliber crew, too, as they rank forty first in NET thirty eighth in KenPom. Gonzaga hasn’t performed Pacific but (8-6, a hundred and first). Washington State, nevertheless, is 6-8 because of dropping two video games towards Gonzaga, neither of which was shut, but it surely’s nonetheless 137th in NET. The Bulldogs should play Santa Clara, Pacific, San Francisco, Portland and Santa Clara once more earlier than the season ends — possibly Gonzaga runs the desk just like the rankings counsel it ought to, or possibly a few of these near-losses develop into precise ones the second time round.
Gonzaga is not with out competitors within the WCC, not with Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara round. (Picture by Larry Placido/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photographs)
The excellent news for the likes of Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s (CA) is that the West Coast Convention has had an at-large bid in every of the final three tournaments, so if the common season ends on a excessive be aware and one or each have a very good exhibiting within the convention match, whichever goes additional may find yourself in March Insanity even when Gonzaga is topped champion one final time. Conversely, a tough finish to the season for Gonzaga, and one in all these two profitable the WCC match may nonetheless imply two groups in March Insanity… simply with out a kind of being the anticipated one.
In fact, these aren’t the one three prospects for convention champion. Washington State and San Francisco each have top-100 Offensive Scores through KenPom. Seattle ranks twenty ninth in Defensive Score, whereas Loyola Marymount and Pacific are each top-100. With everybody making it to the match, and a lot of the convention clustered collectively talent-wise, there may be room for greater than a few faculties to shock everybody, as Portland already did towards Gonzaga earlier this season.
Leaders:
- Points Per Game: Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga, 19.5
- Rebounds Per Game: Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga, 10.1
- Assists Per Game: Ashley Hawkins, Santa Clara, 6.0
- Steals Per Game: Dyani Ananiev, Portland, 2.6
- Blocks Per Game: Julia Dalan, Portland, 3.4 (1st in D-I)
There aren’t the identical high-end groups within the ladies’s portion of the West Coast Convention, however there may be nonetheless vital clustering. Gonzaga is 10-2 and first within the WCC, in addition to 62nd in NET. LMU is second, at 9-3 and 137th in NET. Oregon State can also be 9-3, however 91st in NET. Portland (8-4, 116th) and Santa Clara (8-4, 73rd) are tied for the ultimate bye. Each are two losses and a win up on sixth-place San Francisco (171st), adopted by Pepperdine (6-6, 121st), Saint Mary’s (CA) (5-7, 172nd), Pacific (4-8, 226th), Washington State (4-9, 225th), San Diego (3-10, 270th) and Seattle (1-12, 337th). That’s six top-150 groups, with the highest-ranked of the bunch in bubble territory if it ought to fail to safe the convention championship.
Gonzaga has the 52nd-ranked crew by Offensive Score, because of scoring an adjusted 104.24 factors per sport. Santa Clara isn’t far behind, nevertheless, at 102.23, with Loyola Marymount and Oregon State each top-100, as nicely. Portland has the perfect protection within the convention, limiting opponents to 85.98 factors per 100 possessions, adopted by Gonzaga at 86.21. Oregon State and Santa Clara each maintain opponents beneath 90 factors per 100 possessions, as nicely.
Lauren Whittaker is on the coronary heart of Gonzaga’s offense and protection. (Picture by Oliver McKenna/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photographs)
Gonzaga’s power is in its lengthy sport: regardless of the Seventh-most makes an attempt from deep within the WCC, Gonzaga is second in made 3s and first in 3-point share, at 39.8%. It’s additionally the perfect rebounding crew within the convention, which freshman ahead Lauren Whittaker can take a number of credit score for. She leads the convention in rebounds per sport (10.1) in addition to factors (19.5), and whereas she’s not a part of the 3-point get together, she’s killer from contained in the arc, main the West Coast at 54.4% capturing and 59.8% on 2s, and has the highest efficient FG% within the WCC, as nicely, at 58.6%.
The difficulty is a scarcity of depth: Whittaker leads the West Coast in Participant Effectivity Score (PER) at 38.8, and nobody is especially shut, however nobody else on the crew does two issues particularly nicely, leaving a good portion of the burden to her. There are worse issues to have — akin to, say, not having a Lauren Whittaker — however that’s why Gonzaga isn’t even higher regardless of her presence.
Whereas the WCC had simply an automated bid in 2025, within the earlier two NCAA Ladies’s Basketball Tournaments, it additionally had an at-large bid. As of now, that might go to Santa Clara if it doesn’t win the convention tourney, however Oregon State would wish to have a wild finish to the yr to pressure the difficulty for the Beavers. Changing into match champion stays the perfect likelihood any of those groups have of enjoying in March Insanity, however in contrast to with most mid-majors, it doesn’t take a number of squinting to see an at-large bid showing.
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