The next conference up in our preview series is the West Coast Conference, and as big of a fan as I am of the conference, it’s having a down year. One reason for this is BYU departing the conference for the Big 12. The Cougars currently have a top five national rank in Kenpom, and despite not making the tournament the past two years have added lots of strength towards the top of the conference. However, next year the WCC will get some high major schools back, as Washington State and Oregon State will be temporarily joining the conference.

In this year’s WCC, the usual suspects are towards the top. Gonzaga, while not looking amazing, has seemingly separated themselves from the rest. Saint Mary’s and San Francisco also are in the top tier, while Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount will likely round out the top five. The WCC has had some bottom dwellers regularly, but this year seems to be even worse, as Pacific currently ranks 350th out of 362 teams nationally in Kenpom.

1. Gonzaga

Mark Few’s team comes into WCC conference play not recording any notable wins. Despite that, it’s hard to not have them first in the conference. While it is a down year, they’ve shown flashes of high level play, and easily have the best roster in the conference. While they’re lacking a true go-to guy like we’ve seen in years past, the Bulldogs have five players scoring between 10 and 15 points. The duo up front of Anton Watson and Graham Ike are averaging over 14 points per game, and both earned a spot on my first team All-Conference. The backcourt duo of Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman averages 12.2 points each, and is one of the better backcourts in the country. Redshirt freshman Braden Huff has looked like the future of the program. While Gonzaga hasn’t put everything together yet, they have one of the better rosters in the country and still have a very high ceiling.

2. San Francisco

In year two of the Chris Gerlufsen era, he’s been building the Dons up back into tournament contention. While most of the WCC is down, San Francisco is the one team that has exceeded expectations. Lots of this is due to Missouri State transfer forward Jonathan Mogbo. Mogbo has truly been one of the best and most efficient players in the country on both ends, and in my eyes is an easy pick for conference player of the year right now. Marcus Williams is the other Don in double digits. San Francisco has a top 20 defense, and their offense has tons of room to improve if their turnover problem is fixed.

3. Saint Mary’s

Saint Mary’s is similar to San Francisco, as both teams have elite defenses and struggling offenses. Although, contrary to the Dons, the Gaels have been very inefficient shooting the ball, and their offensive rebounding rate being in the top 10 in the country is keeping them alive. The Gaels have three players averaging double digits, in Aidan Mahaney, Mitchell Saxen and Augustas Marciulionis. None of those players, especially Mahaney, have quite lived up to expectations, but still have time to grow and get Saint Mary’s back in the tournament.

4. Santa Clara

Santa Clara has had a first round NBA draft pick the last two years, with Jalen Williams and Brandin Podziemski. It wouldn’t be the craziest outcome if that streak continues, with Arizona transfer Adam Bal holding lots of upside and stock. Besides Bal, former Tennessee State transfer Carlos Marshall Jr, who only played three games last year, is averaging 14.5 points per game and looking like a potential All-Conference performer. While Santa Clara looks to be separated from the top three in the conference, the Broncos have enough talent to make a run in the WCC tournament, especially if the top teams continue their suboptimal play.

5. Loyola Marymount

Loyola Marymount is another team in the conference that has underachieved my preseason expectations, but maybe I wasn’t accounting for quite how big of a loss losing Cam Shelton actually was. Despite this, the Lions have still lost some games they shouldn’t have, and gotten some subpar play from their top players. Gonzaga transfer Dominick Harris leads the team in scoring, and has thrived in his new role. Justin Wright, Alex Merkviladze and Juice Hill (who is currently hurt) are averaging in double digits, and the key to getting back on track could rest in the hands of fifth-year senior forward Keli Leaupepe.

The Rest: 6-9

Outside of those top five, I have the rest of the teams in order as: 6. Pepperdine, 7. Portland, 8. San Diego and 9. Pacific. All four teams aren’t looking like they have any chance of competing, but Pepperdine, due to their talent, should be the best of the bunch. Portland is well-coached, and San Diego has lots of promising young talent. Pacific, on the other hand, doesn’t have much hope or much to work with.

My Predictions for the All-Conference Selections and Awards

First Team: Marcus Williams (San Francisco), Jonathan Mogbo (San Francisco), Adama Bal (Santa Clara), Anton Watson (Gonzaga), Graham Ike (Gonzaga)

Second Team: Aidan Mahaney (Saint Mary’s), Dominick Harris (Loyola Marymount), Tyler Robertson (Portland), Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine), Mitchell Saxen (Saint Mary’s)

Player of the Year: Jonathan Mogbo (San Francisco)

Defensive Player of the Year: Jonathan Mogbo (San Francisco)

Newcomer of the Year: Jonathan Mogbo (San Francisco)

Freshman of the Year: Braden Huff (Gonzaga)

Coach of the Year: Chris Gerlufsen (San Francisco)

Breakout Player to Watch For: Malik Thomas (San Francisco)