SAN BRUNO, Calif. - West Coast Conference men's basketball is unbeaten since last Sunday with 11 victories against Division I opponents, the only undefeated conference this week. No. 19 Gonzaga returns to the national spotlight on Friday when the Bulldogs play at Arizona State at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
Notes From Around The Coast
11 In A Row
Since Sunday, the West Coast Conference is 11-0 in games against Division I opponents, the only conference without a loss during that span.
Wins Against Last Year’s NET Teams
West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams are 6-3 vs. teams that finished in the top 100 of last year’s NET rankings and 12-6 vs. teams in the top 200 of last year’s NET rankings.
Strength of Record
As of Tuesday, ESPN’s strength of record rankings have Gonzaga at No. 6 and Santa Clara at No. 10. Thus far this season the Bulldogs have defeated Oklahoma at Spokane Arena and also boast a win over No. 23 Creighton.
Half The League Remains Perfect
Half of the West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams remain unbeaten, with LMU standing at 4-0 and five teams boasting 3-0 records (Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, Oregon State, Portland and Santa Clara).
National Broadcasts
Gonzaga will be featured on national television again this week. The Bulldogs play at Arizona State tonight on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Oregon State treks to Eugene to face Oregon on Monday at 7 p.m. on FS1.
Good From Three
San Diego ranks No. 8 (.472) nationally from three and Saint Mary’s is No. 9 (.469).
More Notes From Around The Coast
After defeating Oklahoma in Spokane Arena last week, Gonzaga moved up to No. 19 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls. Saint Mary’s is receiving votes in the coaches poll.
Mikey Lewis of Saint Mary’s ranks second in the West Coast Conference in scoring at 21.7 ppg, one of only two players to average more than 20 points per game along with the conference’s leading scorer Brayden Maldonado from Seattle U (23.7 ppg). Lewis also paces the league from behind the arc having made 12 of his 20 three-point attempts this season, good for a league-best .600 percentage and a league-high clip of 4 treys made per game.
After the first week, Gonzaga’s Graham Ike is averaging a double-double as he currently ranks No. 6 in the conference in scoring (17.3 ppg) and leads the league in rebounding at 10.7 rpg, which ranks tied for 22nd in the nation. As a team, Gonzaga leads the league in rebounding at 47.7 rpg, which ranks tied for 18th in the nation.
During its decisive 87-68 victory at Xavier, Elijah Mahi led the charge with 18 points and three assists. He’s scored at least 14 points in each game this season.
Gonzaga and LMU both rank inside the top 25 in the nation in margin of victory. Gonzaga leads the league and 23rd nationally at 32.3 with LMU immediately behind them in 24th place nationally at 31.5. Three of LMU’s four victories this season have been by double digits, including a 71-58 win at UTEP on Tuesday.
Among true freshmen, Portland’s Joel Foxwell ranks tied for 15th in the nation in scoring at 17.7 ppg. Also, among the ranks of true freshmen, Foxwell is tied for fourth in assists (6.0 apg). Foxwell is the reigning West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week.
Two Toreros scored 20 points in the 78-74 win over Idaho with Juanse Gorosito scoring 22 and Ty-Laur Johnson scoring 21. Gorosito also tallied five assists and four steals.
Carrying the team on his back for their first two wins of the season, Josiah Lake II from Oregon State is the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Week. Lake II hit a shot in the final seconds to lift the Beavers over North Dakota State on opening night before scoring 22 points with eight rebounds in the win over UIC. He scored 10 points with three rebounds and three assists in the win over North Texas.