Men's Basketball

#WCChoops Eyes Final Week of Regular Season

No. 1 Gonzaga pursuing second unbeaten conference season in three years

2020-21 #WCCHOOPS SCHEDULE  |  2020-21 KATZ #WCCHOOPS PANEL 
#WCCHOOPS WEEK 13 RECAP | KATZ RECAP  | #WCCHOOPS ALMANAC
CURRENT WCC TOURNAMENT SEEDING
 
SEEDING THE 2021 UCU WCC TOURNAMENT
#WCChoops has teamed with Ken Pomeroy to develop a model that uses a proprietary algorithm that best reflects conference games completed and yields an adjusted conference winning percentage for each men’s and women’s basketball team. The adjusted conference winning percentage accounts for the strength of the opponent and the location (home/away) of the game played. The offensive and defensive efficiency metric is not utilized in the algorithm to determine a team’s adjusted conference winning percentage. COMPLETE RELEASE
 
2021 UCU WCC TOURNAMENT CREDENTIALS
Credential applications for the 2021 University Credit Union WCC Basketball Tournament are now being accepted. Please Note: There will be significant limits on in-person attendance this year. Credentials will be approved for both in-person and virtual access. | APPLY HERE
 
THREE ZAGS ADVANCE ON WOODEN & NAISMITH LISTS
Three Bulldogs advanced on both the Wooden and Naismith Award Late Season Watch Lists: Sr. F Corey Kispert, Fr. G Jalen Suggs & So. C Drew Timme. The Zags are the only program nationally with three student-athletes on both watch lists.
 
ZAG TRIO NAMED FINALISTS
Three Bulldogs were named as finalists for prestigious national awards: Sr. F Corey Kispert (Senior CLASS) Fr. G Jalen Suggs (Bob Cousy) & Jr. G Joel Ayayi (Jerry West).
 
NUMBERS CRUNCHING
No. 1 Gonzaga enters the week ranked No. 1 (+38.35) overall in the KenPom.com rankings, No. 2 in adjusted offense (127.1) and No. 4 in adjusted defense (88.8). BYU is ranked No. 19 (+21.18) overall, 29th offense (113.3) and 27th in defense (92.2).
 
2021 UCU WCC TOURNAMENT
The University Credit Union WCC Men’s Basketball Tournament returns to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas March 4-9, 2021.
 
#WCCHOOPS QUICK HITS
  • Longtime national college basketball columnist Andy Katz will produce weekly interviews throughout the 2020-21 WCC Basketball season. 
    • In the most recent “Katz Chats” Andy sat down with Pepperdine All-American candidate Colbey Ross. | WATCH
    • Andy’s Week 13 #WCChoops Recap is available HERE  |  KATZ 2020-21 ARCHIVES
  • #WCChoops columnist Jeff Faraudo (@JeffFaraudo) returns for year two of exclusive coverage.
    • #WCChoops Week 13 Recap |  READ
    • Faraudo interviewed a pair of Gonzaga Basketball legends – Matt Santangelo & Dan Dickau – to evaluate the 2020-21 Zags. READ
  • Gonzaga enters week 14 ranked No. 1 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches polls. The Zags have now been ranked No. 1 for a program record 14 straight weeks.
    • The Zags seek to become the second WCC team to be ranked No. 1 in all regular season polls since San Francisco did so in 1955-56
    • Gonzaga has been ranked in the top-5 for 28 straight weeks (were 6/6 in week 6 of 2019-20)
    • Gonzaga has spent 38 weeks in the top-3 since the start of the 2018-19 season
    • Gonzaga has spent 23 weeks at No. 1 since 2018-19
    • Gonzaga has appeared in 92 consecutive top-25 national polls
    • Last year, the Zags spent four straight weeks at No. 1 and occupied either No. 1 or No. 2 in the rankings for 11 weeks and were in the top-5 for 12 straight weeks.
  • Gonzaga is seeking its second unbeaten WCC season in three years and sixth overall
    • 16-0: 2013 & 2019
    • 14-0: 2004, 2006 & 2009
  • Both, BYU and Saint Mary’s earned votes in the preseason poll. The Cougars were in the AP & USA Today Coaches Poll “Receiving Votes” category again 2/22/21.
  • No. 1/1 Gonzaga extended the longest active Division I home winning streak to 49 games in a 106-69 win vs. San Diego (2/20)
  • No. 1/1 Gonzaga is a No. 1 seed (Region 1) and BYU is a No. 7 seed in Region 3 in the latest Joe Lunardi 2021 Bracketology report (2/23)
  • Three WCC teams appear in the top-70 in the NET rankings Gonzaga (No. 1), BYU (No. 21) & Saint Mary’s (No. 70) - as of 2/23/21
  • Three WCC teams rate in the top-90 in the KenPom 2020-21 week 14 ratings: Gonzaga (No. 1), BYU (No. 19) & Saint Mary’s (No. 79). No fewer than seven WCC teams rate in the top-130 - as of 2/23/21
  • LMU’s Eli Scott and BYU’s Caleb Lohner collected University Credit Union WCC Player and Freshman of the Week honors. | READ
  • #WCChoops posted an overall non-conference record of 57-25 (.695); 10-9 vs. Power 6 conferences. Since adopting a 16-game conference slate (2018-19) the WCC is 259-121 (.682). - through 2/23/21 games
  • Gonzaga’s Mark Few enters week eight of the 2020-21 conference season with 621 career wins- all coming at GU. Few owns the top active career winning percentage in Division I (621-124/.834). In addition, Few is 302-31 (.907) in WCC contests (as of 2/15/21).
    • Few became the first WCC coach to collect 300 career league victories in a 76-58 triumph at Pacific (2/4/21). Few was also the first to reach 200 and owns a conference record of 304-31 (.907).
    • Few collected career victory No. 600 in a 102-90 victory over No. 6/5 Kansas (11/26)
  • The WCC unveiled a groundbreaking series of social justice initiatives during the Summer of 2020. The jewel in the crown is the Russell Rule, named for the iconic Bill Russell.  READ  |  WATCH
 
#WCCHOOPS WEEK 14 SCHEDULE
**All dates/times subject to change