SAN BRUNO, Calif. - West Coast Conference men's basketball saw two games go to overtime on Thursday, while No. 8 Gonzaga fended off Santa Clara (NET No. 56) in Spokane. Saturday's action features Saint Mary's hosting Washington State on Saturday at 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Notes From Around The Coast
Six In Top 130 In NET Rankings
Six West Coast Conference teams rank inside the top 130 in the latest NET rankings as of Friday morning - No. 6 Gonzaga, No. 26 Saint Mary’s, No. 56 Santa Clara, No. 109 San Francisco, No. 119 Seattle U, No. 126 Pacific. Ranked No. 8 among conferences in KenPom, the league also features five teams in that top 125, as well - No. 6 Gonzaga, No. 29 Saint Mary’s, No. 54 Santa Clara, No. 103 San Francisco and No. 125 LMU.
In The National Polls
Gonzaga is ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press poll and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches poll. Saint Mary’s is receiving votes in both polls
Four In Top 120 In WAB
The West Coast Conference also boasts four teams ranked inside the top 120 in the latest WAB rankings. Gonzaga leads at No. 9, followed by No. 27 Saint Mary’s, No. 70 Santa Clara and No. 120 Seattle U.
Margin Of Victory Leaders
Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara rank nationally inside the top-15 in margin of victory in conference games, and also boast two in the top 10 - No. 6 Gonzaga (20.2), No. 8 Saint Mary’s (17.5) and No. T-15 Santa Clara (16.0). The Bulldogs defeated the Broncos by 12 points Thursday night. Saint Mary’s hosts Washington State on Saturday at 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
More Notes From Around The Coast
West Coast Conference Basketball featured two games going to overtime on Thursday. Portland nailed multiple three-pointers in the final seconds to hold off Pacific, 90-89. San Francisco and LMU went to double OT before the Lions eventually won, 84-82.
In the battle of unbeatens in conference play, Gonzaga defeated Santa Clara, 89-77, Thursday night. Graham Ike continued to showcase why he’s on multiple national award watch lists as he collected 34 points and 11 rebounds in the win, good for his 10th double-double of the season. He ranks tied for fourth in the nation in that category. The 34 points were the most points scored in a West Coast Conference league game this season.
Saint Mary’s, winners of the last six in a row is allowing just 63.9 points per game, which ranks 12th in the nation. The Gaels also lead the nation in free throw percentage at .807, the only team in the nation at over 80 percent. The Gaels also rank No. 9 in rebound margin (11.4).
The Gaels host Washington State on Saturday at 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The Cougars have won five of their last six heading into the matchup in Moraga. Freshman Ace Glass scored 16 points in the 81-67 win over Oregon State last week. He ranks No. 18 among freshmen in scoring (15.5).
San Francisco and LMU went down to the wire Thursday night. The Lions emerged victorious thanks to the efforts of Jan Vide who scored 23 points with six rebounds and seven assists. USF’s Ryan Beasley scored 32 points with six rebounds and three assists for the Dons.
Another standout freshman, Portland’s Joel Foxwell leads the nation in assists per game among freshmen (7.3). 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.
San Diego’s Ty-Laur Johnson notched his first double-double of the season on 14 points and 10 rebounds in San Diego’s 83-63 win over Pepperdine on Thursday. Defensively, he collected four steals for the second straight game.