SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Nine teams open their 2024-25 seasons on Monday in West Coast Conference men's basketball. The first national broadcast takes place on Saturday with No. 21 Gonzaga plays Oklahoma from Spokane Arena.
Fast Facts
5
Saint Mary's has featured a top-20 scoring defense in each of the last five seasons.
40
West Coast Conference men's basketball features combined rosters with over 40 percent of the student-athletes listing an international country as their home.
41
Gonzaga's Graham Ike needs 41 points to reach 2,000 career points.
West Coast Conference Notes
The West Coast Conference collaborated with its membership to redefine the brand identity of the conference. The conference launched its new brand identity that celebrates its national excellence, focus on student-athlete wellness, innovative approach in today’s NCAA landscape, and expansive footprint representing the major markets in the western region. The conference’s redefined brand – We RISE in the West – is centered around four pillars:
Regional Identity. We alone embody the vibe of the West with major metropolitan markets and geographical appeal.
Innovative Approach. We honor our history and embrace the future of college athletics.
Student-Athlete Wellness. Student-athlete wellness, belonging, community and opportunities are our cornerstones.
Excellence. Excellence and experience in athletics and academics combine to create champions and leaders.
West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be featured weekly throughout the season on the Field of 68 Network with the West Coast Conference Insider podcast. Hosted by prominent media members Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster, the conference continues to be featured in the national spotlight. As of October 2025, The Field of 68 has built a combined audience of over 225,000 followers across its primary social media platforms. It currently boasts over 131K followers on X, over 59K on YouTube and over 38K on Instagram.
West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be featured on national television 56 times during the 2025-26 regular season, including 29 regular season games through its long-term media rights agreements with ESPN and CBS Sports. All 12 programs will appear on national television during the regular season. West Coast Conference action will be featured on as many as five days in a given week, with games airing across ESPN, CBS Sports Network and ESPN+ on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
West Coast Conference men's basketball features an international flavor with over 40 percent of the rostered student-athletes listing an international country as their home. Oregon State and Pacific boast the most with 10 of its 15 players being an international student-athlete. Tigers' head coach Dave Smart is a Canadian and has six Canadian players on his team in 2025. San Francisco's Barry Wang of China competed with his home country of China in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup and was named to the All-Star 5.
Team Notes
No. 21 Gonzaga plays Oklahoma on Nov. 8 at the Spokane Arena and three days later take on No. 23 Creighton at the same venue. The Zags face No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 24 and Maryland the next day. Gonzaga and No. 9 Kentucky square off in Nashville on Dec. 5 and No. 12 UCLA in Seattle on Dec. 13. They close their non-conference gauntlet with a matchup vs. Oregon in Portland on Dec. 21.
Boasting a top-20 defense each of the last five seasons, Saint Mary's went 24-0 when scoring at least 70 points last year and have gone 85-3 when scoring 70 points in a game over the last five seasons. Entering this season, the Gaels own the highest winning percentage (0.770) and are tied for the most NCAA Tournament appearances (6) of any DI Basketball Program in the state of California dating back 2015-16.
Following its third postseason appearance in four years, San Francisco returns seven student-athletes from last year, including all-conference guards Tyrone Riley IV and Ryan Beasley. Chris Gerlufsen's win total has increased each year during his three-year tenure. His 68 wins are the most by a West Coast Conference men's basketball head coach in his first three seasons since Mark Few (1999-02).
Santa Clara added Thierry Darlan from the NBA G league. He averaged 11 points, six rebounds and two assists in 29 games played for the Delaware Blue Coats. SCU has won 20 or more games and finished inside the top four of the WCC standings in each of the last four seasons.
Oregon State comes in with some momentum as last season marked the first 20-win regular season in 35 years, culminating with an appearance in the College Basketball Crown.
Stan Johnson’s five-year tenure to date at LMU has been the best five-year period since 1990. Last season, the Lions had two separate five-game winning streaks, including winning five West Coast Conference games in a row for the first time since 1991.
Pacific returns Elias Ralph who was second on the Tigers in scoring last year with 14.8 points per game and was the team’s leading rebounder with 7.3 per outing. He submitted 10 double-doubles last year.
There will be a lot of new faces for Pepperdine as 12 of the 16 on the roster are new, and two of the four returners missed last season due to injury. Waves only return eight percent of their scoring from last year.
Portland brings in newcomers from winning programs including two players from the JUCO national championship squad and multiple players with NCAA Tournament experience.
San Diego features 14 newcomers this season, including five international student-athletes from six different countries and four different continents.
Seattle U boasts three 20+ winning seasons in the past four years, including the 2022 WAC regular season title and 2024 CBI Championship, all under head coach Chris Victor.
At Washington State, David Riley has set up a “players' program” with a very open offensive scheme that allows his guys to make decisions on the fly. The ideology has been compared to a lot of NBA schemes today, particularly with Denver.