Preview: Bulldogs begin road trip against Toreros

The Zags take their red-hot offense to sunny San Diego against the Toreros and their

The WCC is the strongest and deepest it’s ever been. That affirmation has become an annual recital over the last handful of seasons, as teams outside of Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and BYU have emerged as sneaky picks to punch their ticket to the big dance. The implementation of advanced analytics has helped shed light on the conference’s growing prestige, as well as the increasing number of high-level recruits, transfers and coaches that see ideal fits along the west coast.

Heading into the 2021-22 season, it wasn’t crazy to think that four teams could represent the WCC in March. Now a month into conference play, those predictions are even closer to coming to fruition. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Gonzaga (1 seed), BYU (8 seed), Saint Mary’s (10 seed) and San Francisco (11 seed) in the tournament, while all four are ranked inside the top 40 in KenPom’s ratings.

But what experts didn’t see coming, however, was a fifth team to play spoiler: the San Diego Toreros.

Picked to finish ninth in the WCC preseason poll, many had written off Sam Scholl’s squad from contending in the west. Following a 21-win season in 2018-19, USD went 4-21 in conference play over the next two years. COVID-19 pauses contributed greatly to the struggles (10 cancellations in 2020-21), but the departure of key players brought a gloomy outlook for San Diego’s future. Any success would be the benefactor of landing talented players via the transfer portal in the offseason.

Even then, few expected the Toreros to be sitting in 3rd place with as many conference wins as Gonzaga at the start of February. Along with contributions from newcomers, the Toreros (13-9, 6-3 WCC) have exceeded all expectations through their signature style of stifling defense.

Despite losing Yauhen Massalski to San Francisco, the Toreros replaced their former 6-foot-10 rim protector with another in the form of Pitt transfer, Terrell Brown. As a Panther, he ranked in the top three in the ACC for block rate over three seasons despite significant playing time. As a reliable starter at USD, his production as a rim protector has soared, as his 2.8 blocks per game rank only behind Chet Holmgren in the WCC. Brown’s presence has kept the Toreros’ defense as stout as ever, holding opponents to under 64 points per game.

And while injuries plagued Sam Scholl’s squad early in the season, the team is as healthiest as it’s ever been. Joey Calcaterra, who missed time due to an ankle injury, has regained his role as the primary initiator on offense with his ability to create shots for himself and others. Denver transfer Jace Townsend has been reinserted into the starting lineup after recovering from a broken hand he suffered in December. With both fully healthy, USD’s offense should take a step-up down the stretch of the regular season.

In their absence, other rotational players have emerged has capable contributors. Freshman Wayne McKinney III has cut out a starting role for himself with his athleticism and playmaking abilities. While his 3-point shooting has room to improve, he emerged as USD’s utility player, including a 5-rebound, 6-assist outing against LMU last time out.

Similarly, senior Marcellus Earlington has been a swiss army knife while playing various roles for the Toreros. His versatility allows him to guard multiple positions on defense. The transfer from St. John’s is also a knockdown shooter, as he leads USD in 3-pointers made this season.

But against the Zags, who have tightened up loose ends on defense as of late, the Toreros’ inconsistent offense could run into trouble. Smothering on-ball pressure from Hunter Sallis and Andrew Nembhard have stifled opposing guards, while Anton Watson and Chet Holmgren hold down the paint. GU has held its last four opponents to under 40% shooting from the floor.

Just like against the Pilots, Drew Timme will garner most of the attention down low, which should open up opportunities from deep. USD won’t let the Bulldogs get off another 41 3-point attempts but spreading the floor will still be key against a quality defense.

GU is riding the nation’s longest road game winning streak, and that’ll continue after Thursday.

The pick: Zags 88, Toreros, 67