SAN BRUNO, Calif. - With two weeks remaining in the regular season in West Coast Conference men's basketball, No. 11 Gonzaga looks to maintain its slim lead in first place, but Saint Mary's and Santa Clara are both in contention to win the regular season championship. The conference will appear on national television four times this week.
Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara Stand Tall In NET and WAB
Three West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams rank in the top 42 in the latest NET rankings - No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 26 Saint Mary’s and No. 42 Santa Clara. In addition, these same teams stand inside the top 40 in the latest WAB rankings - No. 15 Gonzaga, No. 33 Saint Mary’s and No. 40 Santa Clara.
USBWA Recognition
The West Coast Conference has garnered five USBWA Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week this season with Graham Ike most recently earning the award on Tuesday for the second time this season.
In The Polls
Gonzaga is ranked No. 11 in the AP poll and No. 8 in Coaches poll, while Saint Mary’s is receiving votes in both national polls.
National Broadcasts This Week
The West Coast Conference will be featured on national TV four times, twice on CBS Sports Network and twice on ESPN2. On Wednesday, Saint Mary’s heads to Seattle U at 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. Later that night at 8 p.m. San Francisco hosts Gonzaga from the Chase Center at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. On Saturday, Washington State hosts Saint Mary’s at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and San Francisco hosts Santa Clara at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
More Notes From Around The Coast
Gonzaga earned its 25th victory for the 19th straight season, extending its NCAA DI record, as the Bulldogs defeated Santa Clara on the road, 94-86. Gonzaga moved back into first place over the Broncos with the win.
In conference games, Santa Clara ranks No. 5 in scoring offense (87.7ppg). Santa Clara owns seven Quad 1 and 2 wins combined this season. SCU has won its last nine out of 10 with the only loss during that span coming against Gonzaga. Three of the Broncos’ six losses have been by three points or less and four of their six losses are Quad 1 losses.
Ranking fourth in the nation in bench points, Gonzaga features three players averaging at least 8.0 ppg with fewer than 10 starts. Tyon Grant-Foster is averaging 11.4 ppg with only five starts and has played in every game this season.
Saint Mary’s won its 24th consecutive home game last Wednesday, setting a program record which is the second-longest active home winning streak in all of Division I. Also, in true road games dating back to the 2022-23 season, Saint Mary’s improved 30-5 after its win at Pacific, the second-best road record among all DI teams during that span.
SMC continues to lead the nation in free throw percentage at .807. Individually, Joshua Dent ranks fourth (.929).
Saint Mary’s ranks seventh in the nation in scoring defense (64.0 ppg). The Gaels also rank 10th in margin of victory in conference games (14.4) as each of their last four wins have been by double digits. Since Jan. 13, only Gonzaga has scored 70 points against Saint Mary’s in nine games during that span.
Three teams rank inside the top 11 in rebounding margin - No. 5 Saint Mary’s (10.5), No. 8 Gonzaga (9.9) and No. 11 Pacific (9.3).
Seattle U’s Will Heimbrodt ranks No. 14 in the nation in blocked shots (2.29 per game).
San Francisco Newcomer David Fuchs has been a key addition to the team, ranking third in the league in rebounding in conference games (8.1 rpg). His seven double-doubles this season also rank tied for third in the league.
Washington State’s Ace Glass ranks 18th among freshmen in the nation in scoring (16.4 ppg). Portland’s Joel Foxwell leads all freshmen nationally and the conference in assists per game (6.9).