SAN BRUNO, Calif. - No. 11 Gonzaga hosts Pacific as the Bulldogs look to remain in first place in the West Coast Conference men's basketball standings, while Santa Clara attempts to get back in the win column with a short trip to San Francisco. Saint Mary's heads to Washington State after holding off Seattle U on Wednesday.
Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara Stand Tall In NET and WAB
Three West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams rank in the top 40 in the latest NET rankings - No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 27 Saint Mary’s and No. 40 Santa Clara. In addition, these same teams stand inside the top 43 in the latest WAB rankings - No. 14 Gonzaga, No. 33 Saint Mary’s and No. 43 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 addition to the weekly recognition, Ike was named to the Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Late-Season Team. The award is one of many that Ike is in contention to win 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 On Saturday
The West Coast Conference will be featured on national TV twice 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 took care of business against San Francisco, defeating the Dons 80-59 at the Chase Center in San Francisco to remain in first place in the West Coast Conference. Ike tallied 22 points, his eighth consecutive game of scoring 20 or more points.
Since January 8, when Ike’s 20-point performance streak began, he is averaging 26.1 points per game, which ranks fourth in the nation during that span. Three of those eight performances were 30-point outings, as well.
Saint Mary’s held off Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena, earning a 72-70 victory. The Redhawks had a chance to tie or win the game at the buzzer but couldn’t connect on the three-pointer. Needing to depend on others after Paulius Murauskas fouled out, Mikey Lewis stepped up with 22 points and five rebounds. Murauskas just missed another double-double, posting 15 points and nine rebounds.
SMC continues to lead the nation in free throw percentage at .806. Individually, Joshua Dent ranks eighth (.922).
Saint Mary’s ranks eighth in the nation in scoring defense (64.2 ppg). After holding San Francisco to 59 points on Wednesday, Gonzaga also stands in the top 25 in scoring defense at No. 25 (66.9 ppg).
In conference games, Santa Clara ranks No. 4 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 last Saturday. Three of the Broncos’ six losses have been by three points or less and four of their six losses are Quad 1 losses. The Broncos can stay in contention for the regular season championship with a victory at San Francisco on Saturday.
Three teams rank inside the top 15 in rebounding margin - No. 5 Saint Mary’s (10.5), No. 11 Gonzaga (9.5) and No. 14 Pacific (8.8).
Seattle U’s Will Heimbrodt ranks ninth in the nation in blocked shots (2.48 per game). During the Saint Mary’s game, Heimbrodt had a sequence of notching two blocks on back-to-back shots by the Gaels.
San Francisco newcomer David Fuchs has been a key addition to the team, ranking third in the league in rebounding in conference games (8.0 rpg). His seven double-doubles this season also rank tied for third in the league, one shy of Pacific’s Elias Ralph’s eight for second most in the league.
Washington State defeated Pacific on Wednesday, 87-70. Rihards Vavers tallied 21 points in the victory. The Cougars will face the Gaels next at Beasley Coliseum on Saturday. Ace Glass ranks 20th among freshmen in the nation in scoring (16.0 ppg).
Pepperdine has won its last two in a row after defeating Portland on the road, 95-87, on Wednesday. Aaron Clark continued his hot streak for the Waves with 29 points. The Waves collected nine steals as a team. Despite suffering defeat, Joel Foxwell notched 35 points for the Pilots, a season best and his first 30-point scoring performance. Foxwell also dished out eight assists, as he leads the league in assists (6.9 apg).