SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Three West Coast Conference men's basketball programs stand inside the top 32 of the initial NCAA Men's Basketball NET rankings that were announced Monday morning with Gonzaga leading the way at No. 5, Saint Mary's at No. 29 and Santa Clara at No. 32.

The West Coast Conference, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the ACC, the SEC and the Big East are the only conferences with three teams in the top 32 of the NET rankings. The last time the West Coast Conference featured three teams inside the top 32 of initial NET rankings was 2021. The conference boasts four inside the top 100 with Pacific entering at No. 81.

After multiple dominating performances in the Players Era Festival last week, Gonzaga (7-1) finds itself at No. 5 in the first NET rankings. Big wins for the Bulldogs include (based off current NET rankings) No. 14 Alabama, No. 94 Oklahoma and No. 100 Arizona State. On the horizon are games with No. 15 Kentucky on Friday and No. 76 UCLA on Dec. 13. 

Saint Mary's (8-1), coming off a second-place finish in the Battle 4 Atlantis, garnered the No. 29 spot in the NET rankings. This includes an average opponent NET ranking of 12th in the nation, including wins against No. 84 Virginia Tech and No. 104 Wichita State. The Gaels have key games against No. 97 Davidson on Dec. 7, No. 80 Boise State on Dec. 14 and No. 73 Northern Iowa on Dec. 22 before the start of conference play. 

Santa Clara (7-1) stands at No. 32 in the NET rankings with key wins over No. 44 McNeese and No. 102 Xavier. The Broncos have upcoming matchups against No. 112 New Mexico on Dec. 6 and No. 100 Arizona State on Dec. 13.

Pacific (6-2) is off to its strongest start since 2020 and is at No. 81 in the NET rankings. The Tigers have key upcoming opportunities against No. 52 California on Dec. 6 and No. 13 BYU on December 16. 

Just outside the top 100, the West Coast Conference also boasts another three institutions in the top 150 in Seattle U (No. 109), San Francisco (No. 121) and LMU (No. 143). This is the most within the top 150 in the opening-season NET rankings for the Conference since the West Coast Conference garnered seven within the top 150 in 2022. 

Compared to other conferences outside of the Power 5 (including the Big East), the West Coast Conference's four programs in the top 100 are the second most, trailing just the Atlantic 10's eight and are tied with the Mountain West's four.

In the first women's basketball NET rankings, the Conference boasted two teams in the top 100 with Santa Clara checking in at No. 67 and Gonzaga at No. 81.