SAN BRUNO, Calif. - West Coast Conference men's basketball will be featured on national television four times this week, including No. 8 Gonzaga battling No. 25 UCLA (NET No. 50) on Saturday on ESPN. The Conference boasts four teams inside the top 85 in the latest NET rankings and ranks eighth among all conferences in the KenPom rankings.
Notes From Around The Coast
Four In Top 85 In NET Rankings
Four West Coast Conference men’s basketball programs stand inside the top 85 of the NCAA Men’s Basketball NET rankings with Gonzaga leading the way at No. 4, Saint Mary’s at No. 15, Santa Clara at No. 59 and Pacific at No. 85. The conference also stands No. 8 in the KenPom rankings.
In The National Polls
Gonzaga is ranked No. 8 in the AP poll and No. 7 in the Coaches poll. Saint Mary’s is receiving votes in both polls.
Conference Leaders
The West Coast Conference ranks third among all conferences in field goal percentage (.472) and second in free throw percentage (.737).
Upcoming National Broadcasts
West Coast Conference men’s basketball can be seen on national television four times this week. On Tuesday, San Diego hosts USC (NET No. 36) at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be on national television twice on Saturday, starting with Santa Clara vs. Arizona State (NET No. 76) in Henderson Nev., at 4 p.m. on TNT. Later that night at 8:30 p.m. Gonzaga plays UCLA (NET No. 50) in Seattle on ESPN. On Sunday, USC hosts Washington State at 4:30 p.m. on FS1.
Quad 1/Quad 2 Wins
Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara are a combined 8-4 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games.
More Notes From Around The Coast
Three West Coast Conference teams rank in the top 55 in WAB (Wins Above Bubble) led by No. 7 Gonzaga and followed by No. 15 Saint Mary’s and No. 55 Santa Clara.
Currently 9-1 on the year, Gonzaga ranks No. 5 in ESPN’s strength of record rankings. The Bulldogs also rank No. 12 on ESPN’s strength of schedule rankings. Saint Mary’s No. 28 in the strength of record rankings and Santa Clara is No. 51.
Gonzaga ranks fifth in the nation in margin of victory (27.6). Most recently, the Bulldogs dismantled then-No. 18 Kentucky 94-59. Other lopsided victories this season include 83-68 over Oklahoma, 90-63 over Creighton and 100-61 over Maryland.
Gonzaga leads the league in rebounding at 44.8 rpg, good for fifth in the nation. Graham Ike is second in the league in rebounding at 8.1 rpg.
The Conference’s leader in rebounding is Andrew McKeever from Saint Mary’s at 10.6 rpg, which also ranks tied for 12th in the nation. McKeever boasts three double-doubles on the year, most recently notching 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win at Davidson.
Three West Coast Conference teams rank inside the top 25 in field goal percentage. Gonzaga leads the league and is No. 13 at .522, with Seattle U not far behind at No. 16 nationally (.520). Portland checks in at No. 24 in the nation (.511).
Portland’s Timo George ranks fifth in the nation individually in field goal percentage at .708. He has connected on 51 of his 72 shot attempts this season, including shooting over .800 four times this season.
Four Gaels pace the West Conference leaderboard in multiple stat categories. Paulius Murauskas leads the league in scoring at 18.0 ppg. Andrew McKeever leads the conference in rebounding (10.6 rpg). Mikey Lewis leads the way in three-point shooting at .473 (26-55) and Joshua Dent paces the league in free throw percentage at .976 (40-41).
Santa Clara leads the conference and ranks No. 16 nationally in blocked shots, averaging 5.60 bpg. Seattle U’s Will Heimbrodt leads the West Coast Conference individually at 2.63 bpg. SCU’s Bukky Oboye is second at 1.78 bpg and teammate Allen Graves is 11th (1.20 bpg).
Saint Mary’s and Seattle U both stand in the top 25 in three-point field goal percentage with Saint Mary’s at No. 19 (.397) and Seattle U at No. 21 (.394).