SAN MATEO, Calif. – As part of its recently extended long-term relationship, the West Coast Conference has announced that at least 16 men's basketball conference games involving WCC schools will air nationally on ESPN Networks this season, including additional exposure during the
2021 University Credit Union (UCU) West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas.
The West Coast Conference will once again be a featured part of ESPN’s Thursday night and Saturday coverage. In all, 16 conference games will be showcased on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU during the 2020-21 conference campaign. West Coast Conference basketball will be featured on ESPN’s popular Championship Week coverage once again in 2021, with five live telecasts from Las Vegas: two quarterfinal games (Saturday, March 6, ESPN2), the WCC semifinals (Monday, March 8, ESPN or ESPN2) and the championship game on Tuesday, March 9 (ESPN).
The West Coast Conference's national telecast package is highlighted by a pair of clashes between eight-time defending regular season champion Gonzaga and 2019 tournament champion Saint Mary’s. Both teams will also play perennial power BYU twice on the ESPN Networks. The Bulldogs enter the season ranked No. 1 nationally for the first time in program history. It is the first WCC team to enter the season ranked atop the standings since the 1955-56 San Francisco Dons did so en route to their second consecutive NCAA title.
Gonzaga will make nine ESPN appearances during conference play. BYU will play seven ESPN games during WCC play, followed by six by San Francisco. Pepperdine and Saint Mary’s both earned five exposures during conference action.
Game times and additional non-conference games televised on ESPN Networks will be released at a later date.
All games aired on an ESPN network will also be available through the ESPN app, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
This marks year three of the modified WCC men’s basketball schedule. The 16-game schedule is the result of changes adopted by the WCC Presidents’ Council in 2018 as part of the Conference’s
Men’s Basketball Enhancement Plan.
These schedule initiatives demonstrate the league-wide commitment by West Coast Conference Presidents and Athletic Directors to adopt an innovative approach to advance men’s basketball on the national stage.
As the season approaches, check the interactive schedule on WCCsports.com or follow West Coast Conference Basketball on Twitter (@WCChoops) for additional non-conference telecasts along with local and regional telecast information from the conference and its member institutions.
The complete West Coast Conference on ESPN schedule follows.
2020-21 #WCChoops ESPN Selections – Conference Only
| Day |
Date |
Away |
Home |
| Thurs. |
Dec. 31 |
BYU |
Pepperdine |
| Sat. |
Jan. 2 |
San Francisco |
Gonzaga |
| Thurs. |
Jan. 7 |
Pepperdine |
San Francisco |
| Thurs. |
Jan. 14 |
BYU |
Saint Mary's |
| Thurs. |
Jan. 14 |
Pepperdine |
Gonzaga |
| Sat. |
Jan. 16 |
Gonzaga |
Saint Mary's |
| Sat. |
Jan. 16 |
BYU |
San Francisco |
| Sat. |
Jan. 23 |
Pepperdine |
BYU |
| Sat. |
Jan. 30 |
Gonzaga |
Pepperdine |
| Thurs. |
Feb. 4 |
San Francisco |
Pacific |
| Sat. |
Feb. 6 |
BYU |
Gonzaga |
| Thurs. |
Feb. 11 |
Saint Mary's |
BYU |
| Sat. |
Feb. 13 |
Gonzaga |
San Francisco |
| Thurs. |
Feb. 18 |
Saint Mary's |
Gonzaga |
| Sat. |
Feb. 20 |
San Diego |
Gonzaga |
| Thurs. |
Feb. 25 |
San Francisco |
Saint Mary's |
| Sat. |
Feb. 27 |
Gonzaga |
BYU |
BYU
Dec. 31 – BYU at Pepperdine
Jan. 14 – BYU at Saint Mary’s
Jan. 16 – BYU at San Francisco
Jan. 23 – Pepperdine at BYU
Feb. 6 – BYU at Gonzaga
Feb. 11 – Saint Mary’s at BYU
Feb. 27 – Gonzaga at BYU
Gonzaga
Jan. 2 – San Francisco at Gonzaga
Jan. 14 – Pepperdine at Gonzaga
Jan. 16 – Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s
Jan. 30 – Gonzaga at Pepperdine
Feb. 6 – BYU at Gonzaga
Feb. 13 – Gonzaga at San Francisco
Feb. 18 – Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga
Feb. 20 – San Diego at Gonzaga
Feb. 27 – Gonzaga at BYU
Pacific
Feb. 4 – San Francisco at Pacific
Pepperdine
Dec. 31 – BYU at Pepperdine
Jan. 7 – Pepperdine at San Francisco
Jan. 14 – Pepperdine at Gonzaga
Jan. 23 – Pepperdine at BYU
Jan. 30 – Gonzaga at Pepperdine
Saint Mary’s
Jan. 14 – BYU at Saint Mary’s
Jan. 16 – Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s
Feb. 11 – Saint Mary’s at BYU
Feb. 18 – Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga
Feb. 25 – San Francisco at Saint Mary’s
USD
Feb. 20 – San Diego at Gonzaga
USF
Jan. 2 – San Francisco at Gonzaga
Jan. 7 – Pepperdine at San Francisco
Jan. 16 – BYU at San Francisco
Feb. 4 – San Francisco at Pacific
Feb. 13 – Gonzaga at San Francisco
Feb. 25 – San Francisco at Saint Mary’s
UNIVERSITY CREDIT UNION WEST COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT ON ESPN
Saturday, March 6
University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal 1, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal 2, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Monday, March 8
University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament Semifinal 1, 6 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament Semifinal 2, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
Tuesday, March 9
University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament Final, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
*All times Pacific unless noted
About West Coast Conference Basketball – 2019-20
#WCChoops enjoyed a storybook season in 2019-20 with three teams projected as locks for single-digit seeds in the 2020 NCAA Tournament by every meaningful publication/metric.
CONSIDER…
- Gonzaga – finished the 2019-20 campaign ranked No. 2 and spent five weeks at No. 1 and spent 14 weeks in the top-three
- BYU returned to the top-25 Feb. 17 and surged up to No. 14
- Saint Mary’s entered the season in the top-20 and received votes in every weekly poll
- Three WCC teams were in Joe Lunardi’s final 2020 Bracketology report: BYU (No. 6 West), Gonzaga (No. 1 West) & Saint Mary’s (No. 8 South)
- Three WCC teams received votes in both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls – Zags, Cougars & Gaels
- For the third time in four seasons, two #WCChoops programs earned a top-25 ranking in the final regular season poll (Gonzaga & BYU)
- Four WCC teams rated in the top-100 of the NET, led by two in the top-10 –Gonzaga (No. 1) & BYU (No. 9)
- A record seven WCC programs finished the season in the top-150 of the final NET rankings
- Seven WCC programs were in contention for postseason play, which would have established a new conference record
- WCC led all Division I conferences in both field goal (45.93) and 3-point field goal (35.61) accuracy
About the West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate athletics, with 15 conference-sponsored sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's beach volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball. The WCC is characterized by the stability of its membership and its unique emphasis on combining excellence in athletics with excellence in academics. For more information, visit WCCsports.com or follow the West Coast Conference on Twitter @WCCsports.