SAN MATEO, Calif. – For the 11th year in a row, Gonzaga men's basketball is once again the preseason favorite to win the West Coast Conference regular season title in the annual poll of the WCC’s 10 head coaches. The Bulldogs received the maximum nine first-place votes and 81 points.
Gonzaga, the No. 1 overall seed in last season's NCAA Tournament, returns All-American and 2022 WCC Player of the Year Drew Timme, who was also named to the All-WCC Preseason Team for the third straight time. After watching Chet Holmgren get selected No. 2 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Bulldogs will reload with Timme, fellow All-WCC Preseason selections Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton, and transfer standout additions Malachi Smith (Chattanooga) and Efton Reid III (LSU).
Saint Mary’s came in second in the coaches poll, picking up the other first-place vote, along with 73 points. The Gaels advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Gonzaga in the regular-season finale in Moraga, and battling the Bulldogs again in the University Credit Union WCC Basketball Tournament final.
San Francisco and BYU tied for third with 57 points each. The Dons punched their ticket in the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 1998, and standout Khalil Shabazz returns to help the Dons achieve the same feat again this season. The Cougars reached the quarterfinals of the NIT. Dominant freshman forward Fousseyni Traore is back as a sophomore for BYU.
Portland was next in fifth in the preseason poll. Last season, the Pilots collected the most wins in a season in more than a decade, and UP returns all of its key players from that squad. Tyler Robertson returns after averaging 15.3 ppg last season.
Santa Clara rounds out the top 6 in the poll. The Broncos earned a bid into the NIT last season. After watching Jalen Williams get selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, SCU turns to Keshawn Justice to guide the Broncos back into the postseason this year.
Five of the preseason honorees were named to the All-WCC Second Team last season - Alex Ducas and Logan Johnson (Saint Mary's), Justice, Robertson and Shabazz. Johnson, Shabazz and Timme were also named to last season's All-WCC Preseason Team, while Timme got the nod for the third straight time.
2022-23 WCC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
| Place |
Team |
First Place |
Points |
| 1. |
Gonzaga |
9 |
81 |
| 2. |
Saint Mary's |
1 |
73 |
| T-3. |
BYU |
|
57 |
| T-3. |
San Francisco |
|
57 |
| 5. |
Portland |
|
48 |
| 6. |
Santa Clara |
|
43 |
| 7. |
Pepperdine |
|
33 |
| 8. |
San Diego |
|
31 |
| 9. |
LMU |
|
17 |
| 10. |
Pacific |
|
10 |
| 2022-23 Men’s Basketball Preseason All-WCC Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
| Rasir Bolton |
Sr. |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Alex Ducas |
Sr. |
F |
Saint Mary's |
| Logan Johnson |
Sr. |
G |
Saint Mary's |
| Keshawn Justice |
Sr. |
F |
Santa Clara |
| Houston Mallette |
So. |
G |
Pepperdine |
| Tyler Robertson |
Jr. |
F |
Portland |
| Khalil Shabazz |
Sr. |
G |
San Francisco |
| Julian Strawther |
Jr. |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Drew Timme |
Sr. |
F |
Gonzaga |
| Fousseyni Traore |
So. |
F |
BYU |