SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Five games remain in non-conference play for West Coast Conference men's basketball before conference play starts on Sunday with all 12 teams in action. Gonzaga remains ranked inside the top 10 in both national polls and the Conference currently boasts five teams in the top 100 in the latest NET rankings.   

Notes From Around The Coast

Near-Perfect Weekend
West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams went 10-1 last weekend. The .909 winning percentage was the best among all Division I conferences in games played from Dec. 19-21.  

Five In Top 100 In NET Rankings
Five West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams are currently ranked in the NET’s top 100. Gonzaga leads the way at No. 3, followed by No. 24 Saint Mary’s, No. 89 Santa Clara, No. 94 Seattle U and No. 100 Pacific. Ranked No. 8 among conferences in KenPom, the league also features four teams in the top 100 in the latest KenPom rankings. No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 33 Saint Mary’s, No. 81 Santa Clara No. 96 San Francisco.

In The National Polls
Gonzaga is ranked No. 7 in both national polls this week. Saint Mary’s is receiving votes in the Coaches Poll. 

Start of Conference Play

Following five more non-conference games, conference play starts on Dec. 28 with all 12 teams in action. The first conference game of the 2025-26 campaign features Washington State heading to Portland at 2 p.m. San Diego hosts Pacific at 3 p.m. while Oregon State hosts Santa Clara also at 3 p.m. In later games, Saint Mary’s treks to LMU at 4 p.m. The two 5 p.m. games will see Gonzaga at Pepperdine and San Francisco at Seattle U. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+.     

More Notes From Around The Coast

Three West Coast Conference teams rank in the top 80 in WAB (Wins Above Bubble) led by No. 6 Gonzaga and followed by No. 29 Saint Mary’s and No. 78 Seattle U.

Seattle U’s five-game winning streak is the longest since the 2022-23 season (8 consecutive). The 10-2 start is the best since 1966-67 when SU started 11-2. Last week, the Redhawks beat UC Davis on the road and Washington (NET No. 56) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Austin Maurer scored 19 points in the win over the Huskies and 14 in the win over the Aggies.  

Pacific is 5-0 in home games this season. Currently 9-4, this season marks the highest non-conference win total for the Tigers since they won 12 in 2019-20. Elias Ralph scored 25 points in the win over Nicholls, his 24th career 20-point performance. Ralph ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.1 ppg.      

Saint Mary’s hosts Northern Iowa in Moraga on Monday night. UNI currently stands at No. 81 in the NET. The game will feature two of the nation’s best scoring defenses as Northern Iowa sits at second in the country, allowing 57.6 ppg. Saint Mary’s is 24th nationally in scoring defense (64.8 ppg). The Gaels have held nine opponents to fewer than 70 points this season.  

Based on NET, Saint Mary’s currently has played the 17th toughest schedule in the nation.

The Conference’s leader in rebounding is Andrew McKeever from Saint Mary’s at 10.3 rpg, which also ranks 15th in the nation. 

San Diego picked up its first Quad 1 win since 2019 when the Toreros defeated future conference opponent UC San Diego and the Tritons’ then-NET of No. 48 last weekend. Ty-Laur Johnson nailed a trey at the buzzer to seal it. Johnson tallied 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The Toreros face Washington (NET No. 56) tonight in Seattle.   

Two West Coast Conference teams rank inside the top 20 in field goal percentage. Gonzaga leads the league and ranks 11th (.521), followed by Seattle U at 20th (.510). Individually, Gonzaga’s Braden Huff ranks tied for seventh (112-168, .667). 

Four West Coast Conference teams rank inside the top 20 nationally in free throw percentage - No. 3 Saint Mary’s (.798), No. 6 San Diego (.791), No. 13 Pepperdine (.784) and No. 18 Oregon State (.781).   

Among other conference, the West Coast Conference ranks fourth in field goal percentage and second in free throw percentage.