SAN BRUNO, Calif. - West Coast Conference men's basketball boasts three teams in the top 50 of the latest NET and WAB rankings with Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara all enjoying that current standing. The conference will be featured on national broadcasts twice this week on CBS Sports Network, as well.
Notes From Around The Coast
Six In Top 125 In NET Rankings
Six West Coast Conference teams rank inside the top 125 in the latest NET rankings as of Tuesday morning - No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 31 Saint Mary’s, No. 43 Santa Clara, No. 108 San Francisco, No. 112 Pacific, No. 124 Seattle U. Ranked No. 8 among conferences in KenPom, the league also features six teams in the top 125, as well - No. 6 Gonzaga, No. 32 Saint Mary’s, No. 45 Santa Clara, No. 105 San Francisco, No. 117 Pacific and No. 125 Seattle U.
In The National Polls
Gonzaga is ranked No. 8 in both national polls, while Saint Mary’s is receiving votes in both polls.
Four In Top 100 In WAB
The West Coast Conference boasts four teams ranked inside the top 100 in the latest WAB rankings. Gonzaga leads at No. 9, followed by No. 35 Saint Mary’s, No. 50 Santa Clara and No. 98 Seattle U.
Broncos Gain Quad 2 Win
Santa Clara defeated Saint Mary’s, 62-54, garnering a Quad 2 victory with Saint Mary’s currently owning a NET ranking of No. 31. SCU held the Gaels to shooting just 32 percent from the field. Christian Hammond scored 25 points with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Elijah Mahi tied his career high with three steals defensively to go with his eight points and six rebounds.
More Notes From Around The Coast
West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be on national television twice this week with both games on CBS Sports Network. On Wednesday, Saint Mary’s hosts Oregon State at 8 p.m. On Saturday, Gonzaga hosts San Francisco at 5 p.m.
Three teams rank inside the top 25 in margin of victory in conference games, including Gonzaga the national leader at 20.4. Santa Clara is not far behind at No. 5 (16.9) with Saint Mary’s coming in at No. 23 (11.7).
In conference games, Santa Clara ranks No. 11 nationally in scoring offense (87.6 ppg), and that’s after gaining a victory against a Saint Mary’s team that boasts a top-20 scoring defense. Christian Hammond, the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Week, ranks eighth in the conference in scoring in league games at 16.1 ppg.
Enjoying a 12-game winning streak, Gonzaga picked up two wins last week without Braden Huff and one without Graham Ike, who ranks tied for fifth in the nation in double-doubles (11). The Zags secured a season-high 14 steals for the second time this season in their 86-65 win at Washington State. Gonzaga leads the conference in scoring offense (90.2 ppg), also 14th nationally, and the Bulldogs rank second in the league in scoring defense (66.9 ppg).
Saint Mary’s leads the nation in free throw percentage at .811, while San Diego ranks 22nd (.775). Individually, SMC’s Joshua Dent is tied for sixth in the nation (.932) and Mikey Lewis is tied for 17th (.914).
Three teams rank inside the top 12 in rebounding margin - No. 6 Gonzaga (11.4), No. 9 Saint Mary’s (10.4) and No. 12 Pacific (9.7).
San Francisco heads to Gonzaga this week having won four of its last six games including an 85-80 home win over Washington State last Sunday. In conference games, David Fuchs ranks third in the league in rebounding (8.9), while Ryan Beasley paces the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2) in conference games.
Seattle U looks to hand Pacific its first home loss this season on Saturday. Elias Ralph of the Tigers boasted a double-double (20 points, 11 rebounds) vs. Oregon State last week, his sixth of the season.
San Diego’s Assane Diop earned a triple-double during San Diego’s 113-67 win over Bethesda last Saturday. He collected a career-high 15 rebounds, along with 11 points and 10 assists. It marks the first triple-double by a West Coast Conference player since LeJuan Watts from Washington State at Santa Clara on Jan. 23, 2025.