The West Coast Conference has been disrespected by many who check in during the NCAA Tournament to chastise Gonzaga for not playing in a tougher conference. Those who follow college basketball know the WCC has been a solid conference for many years with good programs like San Francisco and Santa Clara that have been regularly winning 20 games every season. Still, Gonzaga is the king of the conference with St. Mary’s right behind and this season it seems that the Bulldogs’ control of the WCC is at risk.
At WCC media days it was the Gaels who were voted the best team in the conference by the coaches, not the reigning regular season champions. It is not a shock that St. Mary’s is considered the best team this season when you consider the returning talent, but the vote is an example of the type of season Gonzaga could be in for. Five impact players from last season are gone, no blue-chip prospect will don a Bulldogs jersey and the roster is built on transfers from all around the country. The betting market has Gonzaga as the odds-on favorite to win the WCC regular season title, but it’s a price that seems to be inflated by the history of the program.
The conference should challenge for more than just two bids this season as well. San Francisco landed a massive transfer in Mike Sharavjamts who should help the Dons push for 20 wins once again, Herb Sendek has Santa Clara on the verge of turning into an NBA prospect hot spot and Loyola Marymount is a deep team with hopes of building on a 19-12 season. There is also some intriguing depth to this conference when it comes to upstart teams like Portland and Pacific.
Don’t be fooled by the talking heads in March. This is a good conference with plenty of talent.