SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The final week of the regular season in West Coast Conference men's basketball features five national broadcasts, including four on CBS Sports Network, and multiple impactful games with regards to seeding for next week's Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship.
Fast Facts
3
Saint Mary's has won at least a share of the last three West Coast Conference men's basketball regular season titles for the first time in program history.
4
Ryan Nembhard is four assists shy of the West Coast Conference single-season record for overall games.
23
The 23 three-pointers by Santa Clara last week against Washington State were a Conference single-game record and the second most by a Division I team this season.
WCC Notes
WCC Boasts Five Teams In Top 80 Of NET
The WCC features five teams in the top 80 in the NET currently, an all-time conference best. The WCC also boasts two teams in the top 16, one of only four conferences (Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC) with two teams in the top 20.
The WCC's five teams in the top 80 in the NET are No. 10 Gonzaga, No. 16 Saint Mary’s, No. 52 Santa Clara, No. 61 San Francisco and No. 79 Oregon State.
Among the WCC's top-80 NET teams, the Conference owns 10 Quad 1 wins this season, four by Saint Mary's, two by Gonzaga and Santa Clara and one by San Francisco and Oregon State.
Saint Mary's is ranked No. 23 in the latest Associated Press Poll and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches poll. Gonzaga is receiving votes in both national polls.
Five Key Games On TV In The Final Week Of The Regular Season
West Coast Conference men's hoops will be on national TV five times this week, including four games on CBS Sports Network. Tonight, Gonzaga is at Santa Clara at 8 p.m. On Wednesday, San Francisco is at Oregon State at 8 p.m. On Thursday, Saint Mary’s is at LMU at 8 p.m. The fourth CBS Sports Network game is on Saturday – Oregon State at Saint Mary’s at 7 p.m.
Also on Saturday, Gonzaga plays San Francisco at 8 p.m. from Chase Center on ESPN with second place and the second seed for the WCC Basketball Championship potentially at stake in the WCC standings.
WCC Has Featured Many Quad 1 Opportunities This Conference Season
With nearly half the league in the top 70 in the NET rankings, WCC teams are benefiting from having more Quad 1 and 2 opportunities during league play for the first time, enhancing conference strength of schedule. In the month of January, the WCC's five top-70 NET teams collected double the number of Quad 1 opportunities compared to the last two seasons. Each week during West Coast Conference league play this season has given multiple teams opportunities for resume-building key Quad 1 and 2 victories.
WCC Took Care Of Business During Non-Conference
The WCC is No. 7 in both the KenPom and Torvik rankings, and both are the conference's highest ranking since the inception of those metrics. Against non-conference teams this season, the WCC's top-five NET teams compiled a record of 47-18 (.723). According to ESPN, four WCC teams secured top-40 non-conference strength of schedule rankings.
WCC POINTS IN THE PAINT
The WCC POINTS IN THE PAINT men’s basketball podcast made its debut last month. Hosted by Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham, the podcast breaks down the previous week’s action, provides analysis of the games ahead and features a guest each week. This week's episode features Augustas Marciulionis of Saint Mary's and CBS Sports College Basketball Analyst Gary Parrish. Full episodes are available on the WCC’s YouTube channel (YouTube.com/WCCsports), as well as Apple and Spotify podcasts. Episodes will come out on Tuesdays during the conference season.
WCC Team Notes
Saint Mary's won at least a share of its third straight West Coast Conference regular season championship after defeating Gonzaga on the road last Saturday to win the 2025 West Coast Conference regular season title. The Gaels boast one of the nation's top defenses, ranking fifth overall (60.9 ppg) and first in conference games (57.9 ppg), the lowest scoring defensive total in conference games since 2021-22 (Dayton, 57.8 ppg).
In addition to the stellar defense, Saint Mary's remains potent on the boards, as well. The top two rebounders in the West Coast Conference as both Gaels as Paulius Murauskas leads the league at 8.1 rpg and teammate Mitchell Saxen is right behind him at 7.9 rpg. SMC ranks 23rd in the nation in rebounding (39.4 rpg), while Gonzaga is 25th (39.2 rpg).
Murauskas notched another double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds last week against Portland. He ranks tied for first in the West Coast Conference and 23rd nationally with 11 double-doubles. Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard also owns 11 double-doubles this season.
Nembhard is on the verge of setting another West Coast Conference single-season record this week. He is four assists shy of the West Coast Conference single-season for assists in overall games. He previously set the record for single-season assists in conference games earlier this season.
WCC All-Time Single-Season Assist Leaders
| Place |
Player |
School |
Year |
Assist Total |
| 1. |
Emmett Naar |
Saint Mary's |
2017-18 |
284 |
| 2. |
Terrell Lowery |
LMU |
1990-91 |
283 |
| 3. |
Ryan Nembhard |
Gonzaga |
2024-25 |
280 |
Nembhard currently leads the nation in assists at 9.6 apg. He is one of three WCC players ranked in the top 15 in the nation in assists - No. 6 Moe Odum, Pepperdine (7.1 apg) and No. 15 Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary's (6.2 apg).
The Bulldogs are armed with one of the nation's top offenses, ranking in the top 10 in multiple categories including assists per game (No. 1, 19.7), scoring offense (No. 2, 87.1), scoring margin (No. 3, 17.4), field goal percentage (No. 4, 49.9) and free throw percentage (No. 4, 80.4).
Gonzaga and San Francisco are tied for second place with their second meeting on tap for Saturday at Chase Center at 8 p.m. on ESPN. Malik Thomas remains the Conference scoring leader in scoring at 19.5 ppg. He owns three of the WCC's top six individual scoring totals this season (35, 34, 34).
Santa Clara is also in contention for the second seed with a big matchup tonight hosting Gonzaga. The Broncos knocked off the Bulldogs in Spokane earlier this season and the Broncos are riding the momentum of a 30-point victory over Washington State last Saturday.
While the Broncos and Zags battle tonight, USF will have its hands full prior to the Gonzaga meeting with a road test at Oregon State on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Michael Rataj of the Beavers boasts 11 games with at least 20 points, and he owns 10 double-doubles this season, which ranks 29th in the nation and second in the West Coast Conference.