SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Three West Coast Conference men's basketball games will be broadcast on the ESPN platform this week, including the first meeting this season between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's on Saturday in Moraga. The Gaels look to remain unbeaten in conference play, while the WCC stands tall with five teams in the top 75 in the NET rankings.
Fast Facts
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Washington State's Lejuan Watts became the eighth WCC player to record a triple-double.
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Saint Mary's leads all Division I teams with its 14-game road winning streak.
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Max Mackinnon's 43-point total last week ranks fifth in the nation.
WCC Notes
Statement From Stu Jackson On Discussions of Potential Changes to NCAA Governance Structure
With ongoing discussions on potential changes to the NCAA Division I governance structure, West Coast Conference Commissioner Stu Jackson shared the following statement:
“Assessing the numerous changes in college athletics and their effects, it appears the autonomy four conferences are seizing more decision-making power. It’s vital for the basketball-focused leaders, and a broader group of stakes-holding decision makers across college sports to build engaged and properly weighted representation as we look forward for basketball and Olympic sports in the wake of these discussions. The future of college athletics and the opportunities for the larger pool of student-athletes requires a diverse collaboration of representation focused on the greater good. Opportunities should not be commandeered by a few to dilute the fairest benefit to all.”
WCC Boasts Five Teams In Top 75 Of NET
The WCC is one of six conferences to feature five teams in the top 75 in the NET currently (ACC, Big 12, Big East, BIG 10, SEC). The WCC also boasts four in the top 60. Six teams in the top 90 in the NET rankings is an all-time conference best. Among the other mid-major conferences, only one other conference features more than three teams in the top 60. The WCC's six teams in the top 90 in the NET are No. 15 Gonzaga, No. 23 Saint Mary's, No. 54 Oregon State, No. 60 Santa Clara, No. 72 San Francisco and No. 87 Washington State.
Among the WCC's top-90 NET teams, the Conference owns five Quad 1 wins this season, two by Gonzaga and Santa Clara, and one for Oregon State. These six teams also currently boast 21 Quad 2 wins.
Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are receiving votes in both national polls.
Big Matchups This Week, Three Games On The ESPN Platform
This week the WCC will be featured on the ESPN platform three times, including this season's first matchup between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's on Saturday. Tonight, Oregon State heads to Spokane for the rematch with Gonzaga at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Tomorrow night, Saint Mary's heads to Santa Clara at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
Saturday's clash between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's is set for an 8 p.m. tip on ESPN.
January Will Feature Many Quad 1 Opportunities
With nearly half the league in the top 75 in the NET rankings, WCC teams will benefit from having more Quad 1 and 2 opportunities during league play for the first time, benefiting conference strength of schedule. In the month of January, as of the current NET rankings, the WCC will feature significantly more opportunities compared to the month of January in recent seasons.
WCC Took Care Of Business During Non-Conference
The WCC is No. 7 in both the KenPom and Torvik rankings, and both are the conference's highest ranking since the inception of those metrics. Against non-conference teams this season, the WCC's top-six NET teams compiled a record of 57-21 (.731). According to ESPN, four WCC teams secured top-55 non-conference strength of schedule rankings.
WCC POINTS IN THE PAINT
The WCC POINTS IN THE PAINT men’s basketball podcast made its debut this month. Hosted by Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham, the podcast breaks down the previous week’s action, provides analysis of the games ahead and features a guest each week. Full episodes are available on the WCC’s YouTube channel (YouTube.com/WCCsports), as well as Apple and Spotify podcasts. Episodes will come out on Tuesdays during the conference season.
WCC Team Notes
In conference games, the Gaels rank No. 1 (55.9) in scoring defense and Gonzaga ranks No. 1 in scoring offense (92.5 ppg).
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few and Saint Mary's head coach Randy Bennett are two of the winningest active coaches in the NCAA. In the last 10 seasons, Gonzaga owns the nation’s best winning percentage (.870) and Saint Mary’s is fifth during that 10-year span (.761). Among active head coaches with at least 500 Division I wins, Few boasts the best winning percentage (.831) while Bennett is fifth (.731). Few began his tenure at Gonzaga in 1999-00. Bennett started at Saint Mary's in 2001-02.
The Gaels remain unbeaten in conference play at 8-0 after a 20-point win over San Francisco and a come-from-behind road win at Washington State last week. During the eight WCC victories, seven of the eight opponents have failed to score more than 60 points.
Saint Mary's has been dominating on the boards this season, as well, ranking 16th in the nation in rebounding (40.6 rpg) and third in rebounding margin (11.0). Within the Conference, three Gaels stand in the top 10 in rebounding led by the league leader Paulius Murauskas (8.7 rpg), while Mitchell Saxen is third (7.9 rpg). Murauskas also ranks tied for 11th in the nation with nine double-doubles. Murauskas posted his latest double-double in the win at Washington State (25 points, 12 rebounds) en route to earning Lute Olson National Player of the Week accolades.
Gonzaga ranks in the top 10 nationally in multiple categories including assist-to-turnover ratio (No. 1, 1.97), assists (No. 1, 20.0 apg), scoring offense (No. 2, 89.2), field goal percentage (No. 4, 50.0), free throw percentage (No. 5, 80.0), and scoring margin (No. 9, 17.0). Ryan Nembhard added to his assist season total against Portland with 13. He leads the nation averaging 9.9 apg. He boasts 13 games with 10 or more assists this season, became the first player in the country this season to reach 200 assists and he ranks No. 3 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.40). Nembhard is also tied with Murauskas for the league lead in double-doubles with nine.
In overall games this season, three WCC teams are allowing fewer than 70 points per game right now – Saint Mary’s (61.3), Oregon State (65.9) and San Francisco (67.7 ppg). Three WCC teams are averaging over 80 ppg offensively – Gonzaga (89.2), Santa Clara (80.7) and Washington State (80.5). The Zags rank second nationally in scoring offense and Saint Mary's ranks seventh in scoring defense nationally.
After posting a then-career high 29 points in the win over Gonzaga, Oregon State's Michael Rataj notched a career-high 30 points in the Beavers' win over Santa Clara last Saturday, including shooting 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Rataj owns seven 20-point performances this season, also notching 22 in last Thursday's home win over Pepperdine. He ranks tied for 21st in the nation with eight double-doubles, as well.
Santa Clara's offense hopes to figure out the Saint Mary's defense tomorrow night. The Broncos boast five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Adama-Alpha Bal and his 14.0 ppg average. During last Thursday's win over Washington State, Christoph Tilly notched his first double-double this season (13 points, 10 rebounds).
Portland's Max Mackinnon was tabbed a USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, giving a WCC player the honor for four consecutive weeks.