2018-19 #WCChoops Schedule | Dons Extend Strong Start
By John Crumpacker
#WCChoops Columnist
Does a rising tide indeed lift all ships? It seems to be the case in the West Coast Conference, where eight men’s basketball teams have winning records as the start of conference play looms.
No. 7 Gonzaga of course is the lead destroyer in this armada heading into the start of WCC play on Jan. 3. The Zags have taken on all challengers, including Illinois, Arizona, Duke, Creighton, Washington, Tennessee and North Carolina, and emerged with an 11-2 record, having played just one of those heavyweight opponents at home, Washington. The others were either on the road or on neutral courts in various tournaments.
Given its robust non-conference schedule, it’s perhaps not surprising that Gonzaga does not have the best record heading into the last week before the WCC season begins. San Francisco is 12-1 while Loyola Marymount is 11-2 and San Diego 10-4. The Dons, Lions and Toreros all look to be improved from 2017-18 as they prepare to compete for spots in the top half of the conference.
In an inaugural 16-game conference schedule, Gonzaga has been predicted, by some national experts, to run the table and storm into the WCC Tournament with a 27-2 record. Getting injured players Killian Tillie and Geno Crandall back will only enhance Gonzaga’s stature.
And yet …
“I would not be surprised if someone knocks off Gonzaga,’’ said Jim Brovelli, former USF coach and current Dons’ radio analyst. “The league has improved. I think the conference is really going to be exciting this year. It’s as competitive as I’ve seen for a number of years.’’
With BYU and Saint Mary’s both sitting at 8-6 and looking up at Pacific in the standings at 9-5, could this be the year in which USF, LMU and San Diego stand up and join Gonzaga in the top half of the conference? And might the hull of the mighty ship Gonzaga take a few dents along the way from these upstarts?
“There’s a bunch of teams that are playing well,’’ USF point guard Frankie Ferrari said. “The league is doing great so far. It’s going to be a battle night-in and night-out, whoever you play.’’
What We Learned
- It appears that WCC teams are a bit weary of playing non-conference games. This deep into December (and a Happy Holidays to all), the overall impression is that teams from Gonzaga to San Diego and points in between are eager to get after each other in a predictable routine of Thursday and Saturday contests; no more oddball games on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday. As well, the new men’s slate of 16 conference games instead of 18 has created a state of competitive anxiety, which can only be good for fans throughout the WCC.
- Given the above, several WCC teams must be smarting after enduring losses at the end of non-conference play, most notably San Diego. The Toreros had a four-point lead over Drake (81-77) late in regulation of the championship game of the Las Vegas Classic at the Orleans Arena on Sunday, only to be tied at the buzzer and go onto overtime and then double overtime before losing 110-103. That’s a punch-the-blackboard (or whiteboard, whatever the case may be) type of loss for USD. LMU, Pacific, Saint Mary’s and BYU all came up lacking in Saturday games, too. Bring on the WCC schedule!
- This particular cyber space would be remiss for not mentioning that LMU has already won as many games in 2018-19 (11) as it did all of 2017-18 (11-20) and conference play has yet to commence. With a coach, Mike Dunlap, deeply committed to his alma mater guiding such players as James Batemon, Mattias Markusson and Dameane Douglas, it will be interesting to see where the Lions, at 11-2, end up at the end of conference play.
- The WCC can hang with the so-called big boys. The conference is 9-7 vs. the Pac-12 with one game remaining, Santa Clara at Washington State. The Broncos dressed only seven players vs. USC and managed to win 102-92 in double overtime. USF defeated Stanford Saturday on the Hilltop when the Cardinal for the first time since Ronald Reagan was in the White House. And San Diego downed Washington State in the opening game of the Las Vegas Classic.
The week ahead
The last week of the year also marks the last week of non-conference play for WCC men’s teams. It’s not a particularly inspiring slate of games; nevertheless, there are a few contests worthy of mention (and that does
not include North Alabama playing at Gonzaga on Friday night at the Kennel).
Elsewhere, Loyola Marymount will try to improve to 12-2 when it hosts UC Davis on Friday night at Gersten Pavilion while Santa Clara travels to peas-and-lentils country for a game at Washington State on Saturday while BYU will test itself on the road at Mississippi State on the same day.
The biggest game of the weekend, however, is when USF – that’s 12-1 USF – plays at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night.
“That’ll be a tough one. They’re loaded,’’ USF coach Kyle Smith said. “Coming out of Christmas, you never know how guys will respond.’’
The last two games of non-conference play come on the last day of the year when Alabama A&M plays at Pepperdine while Cal State Bakersfield pays a sacrificial visit to Gonzaga on the 31st. For the Waves (6-7), it’s a chance to reach .500 with a win over Alabama A&M.
Quote of the Week (and understatement of the week)
“Overall, happy defensively.’’
That’s Gonzaga assistant coach Brian Michaelson, on his team’s 56-19 halftime lead over Denver in a game the Zags would go on to win by the biggest margin in program history, 101-40.
Stat Line of the Week
This week’s SLOTW goes to San Francisco’s Frankie Ferrari, who had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals as the Dons defeated Stanford 74-65 on the Hilltop. It’s the first time USF has defeated Cal and Stanford in the same season since 1978-79.
To paraphrase a certain popular beer commercial, and with a nod to USF’s topographical location, Hilly! Hilly!
Tweet of the Week
Here’s Gonzaga stalwart Josh Perkins visiting an elementary school class in Spokane:
Follow the three dots…
Santa Clara freshman guard Trey Wertz was named WCC Player of the Week for averaging 19 points and 7 assists as the Broncos defeated USC and Idaho. Wertz had 28 points in Santa Clara’s double-overtime win over the Trojans. … In the latest NET rankings, Gonzaga is 11, USF 25, Saint Mary’s 75 and San Diego 79. … Here’s why defense matters, regardless the sport: BYU, 8-6, is allowing an average of 91.5 points in those six defeats. … Portland’s Franklin Porter, son of coach Terry Porter, recorded a career-high 11 rebounds in the Pilots’ 54-39 win vs. Florida A&M. That’s the fewest points allowed by Portland since 2010. … Santa Clara, 7-6 overall, has won six of its last seven games and four in a row. In a 77-56 victory over Idaho at the Leavey Center, five Broncos scored in double figures. … USF and Gonzaga are both winning games by an average of 20 points. … The Dons are No. 1 in the WCC in points allowed per game at 58.8. … Five WCC players are averaging better than 20 points per game: Jordan Ford of Saint Mary’s (23.2), Yoeli Childs of BYU (22.1), Rui Hachimura of Gonzaga (21.7), Isaiah Pineiro of San Diego (20.6) and Colbey Ross of Pepperdine (20.1). … No one in the conference rejects shots like Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke. He’s averaging 3.2 blocks per game, well ahead of Portland’s Theo Akwuba at 1.9. … USF received one vote in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.