SAN BRUNO, Calif. - West Coast Conference men's basketball will be featured on national television twice this week, including tonight when San Francisco hosts Saint Mary's on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. On Thursday, No. 9 Gonzaga faces Washington State in Pullman at 7 p.m. in Pullman, Wash on CBS Sports Network. The conference boasts six teams in the top 121 in the latest NET rankings and four in the top 115 in the WAB.
Notes From Around The Coast
Six In Top 121 In NET Rankings
Six West Coast Conference teams rank inside the top 121 in the latest NET rankings as of Tuesday morning - No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 30 Saint Mary’s, No. 52 Santa Clara, No. 103 San Francisco, No. 119 Seattle U, No. 121 Pacific. Ranked No. 8 among conferences in KenPom, the league also features seven teams in that top 132, as well - No. 6 Gonzaga, No. 35 Saint Mary’s, No. 50 Santa Clara, No. 103 San Francisco, No. 121 Seattle U, No. 127 Pacific and No. 132 LMU.
In The National Polls
Gonzaga is ranked No. 9 in both national polls, while Saint Mary’s is receiving votes in both polls.
Four In Top 115 In WAB
The West Coast Conference boasts four teams ranked inside the top 115 in the latest WAB rankings. Gonzaga leads at No. 10, followed by No. 31 Saint Mary’s, No. 65 Santa Clara and No. 113 Seattle U.
Margin Of Victory Leaders
Three teams rank inside the top 12 in margin of victory in conference games - No. 3 Gonzaga (20.2), No. 5 Santa Clara (18.5) and T-12 Saint Mary’s (15.2). On Saturday, Santa Clara hosts Saint Mary’s at 4 p.m. on ESPN+ in a battle of the Broncos’ red-hot offense vs. the Gaels’ top-20 ranked scoring defense.
More Notes From Around The Coast
The Santa Clara offense has been on fire in conference play. In conference games, the Broncos rank fifth in the nation in scoring (92.3 ppg). In addition, SCU has gone over 100 points twice in the six conference games played thus far. The Broncos will battle a Saint Mary’s defense that ranks No. 17 in the nation overall, allowing 64.9 points per game.
The Gaels also lead the nation in free throw percentage at .816, the only team in the nation at over 80 percent.
Three teams rank inside the top 20 in rebounding margin - No. 9 Gonzaga (10.8), No. 10 Saint Mary’s (10.9) and No. 16 Pacific (9.8).
Prior to the meeting with the Gaels, Santa Clara hosts Pacific on Thursday. The Tigers are riding the momentum of a 17-point second half comeback to beat San Diego at home, 77-70, last Saturday to remain unbeaten at home (8-0). Pacific has already surpassed its overall win total from last season by three games.
Another standout freshman, Portland’s Joel Foxwell is one of five players in the nation that average both at least 14 points and 7 assists per game. He leads the nation in assists per game among freshmen (7.2). Foxwell scored a season-best 27 points in the Pilots 90-89 win over Pacific in overtime on Thursday. Foxwell has now scored 20 or more points six times and in three of the last four games.
Following a double-overtime loss at LMU last Thursday, San Francisco rebounded with an 80-60 win at Pepperdine. Defensively, the Dons held the Waves to shooting 30 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from three, both season bests for USF. In addition, the Dons are leading the conference in rebounding in conference games (42.7 rpg).
Washington State hosts Gonzaga on Thursday with the Cougars winners of two of their last three. Freshman Ace Glass paces the Cougars and ranks No. 14 nationally among freshmen in scoring at 15.9 ppg.
San Diego’s Ty-Laur Johnson ranks third in the West Coast Conference in scoring in conference games (19.4). Johnson has reached double figures in each conference game, including three 20-point performances. He scored 19 points with seven rebounds and seven assists at Pacific last Saturday.