WCC roundup (1/2-1/10)

Seven teams are back in action after kicking off conference play last week

It took a little time to get rolling, but West Coast Conference action is definitely in full swing by now. Currently, Portland, Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount still don’t have a conference matchup under their belt, but all are expected to get back into action this week. The games that have been played so far have still shown a lot about what we can expect from teams on the road to Vegas.

Gonzaga (12-2, 1-0):

A week of protocols and two weeks removed from its last game, GU established its dominance early against the Pepperdine Waves in its first bite of WCC action Saturday. GU jumped out by 10 quickly and finished the first half up 63-41. As they continued to drill the ball in the hoop from all three levels of the floor, the Zags put up a season-high 117 points.

The tempo demonstrated by GU throughout the contest proved the team may have even gained a step after that short time off from competition. The Zags will look to bring a similar grade of quickness to the rest of their conference opponents in hopes of going undefeated in the WCC for the second year in a row.

It continues with a critical home game against BYU on Thursday and an away game at Santa Clara on Saturday.

BYU (14-3, 2-0):

The Cougars were the first WCC team to notch a conference win after beating Pacific 73-51 on Thursday. Alex Barcello scored his 1,000th point as a Cougar and the team was able to get going both inside and from deep, shooting almost 50% all around the shooting chart.

Against an SMC team still reeling from COVID-19 protocols on Saturday, the Cougars optimized their scoring down low as neither team could get the 3-ball to hit, and pulled out a 52-43 win. While SMC was definitely able to slow down a potent BYU attack, the Cougars countered with one of their more masterful defensive performances and held the Gaels to a shooting clip below 30% on the day.

The current No. 1 team in the WCC standings will next travel to GU and USF for two of its more pivotal conference games this week.

University of San Francisco (14-2, 1-0):

The anticipated matchup between the Don and Gonzaga originally set for last Thursday will now be played at a later date. In lieu of the Zags, USF found an out-of-conference opponent in the University of Loyola Chicago to play in Salt Lake City Thursday. The Dons were handed their second loss of the year in a 79-74 defeat after the Ramblers put on an offensive clinic in the game’s second half.

USF found themselves back in the win column after the team’s first bit WCC action against the University of San Diego on Saturday. The Dons managed a 15-point victory on the back of guard Khalil Shabazz, who dropped a season-high 27 points. USF has two home games lined up next week against LMU and BYU to keep the WCC play going.

Saint Mary’s (12-4, 0-1):

Another program that was out of action during the first week of 2022, SMC got in one game last week against a tough BYU opponent. The Gaels have been one of the better defensive teams in the nation all season and it held up against the Cougars, only conceding 52 total points. However, going 4-23 from deep and shooting 29.3% didn’t factor into a winning formula, and now SMC finds itself in an 0-1 hole to start conference play. They’ll look to bounce back, particularly on offense, with two away games against Pepperdine and Pacific this Thursday and Saturday.

University of San Diego (8-7, 1-1):

Even after two conference games, the Toreros are looking to be the litmus test of the WCC this season. USD has been consistently shooting, rebounding and assisting at around the NCAA average this season, so opponents will have to elevate their game to best a hungry Toreros team.

USF was able to do just that and bounced back from its second loss of the year to beat USD 88-73. After losing two back-to-back games, USD rebounded with a 72-62 victory over Pepperdine on Monday. Senior Marcellus Earlington came off the bench to give the Toreros a game-high 16 points.

USD has two home games this week, against Portland on Thursday and LMU on Saturday.

Pacific (5-10, 0-1):

After dealing with multiple personnel in health and safety protocols for the past week which kept the Tigers out of action, a loss to BYU on Thursday didn’t necessarily act as a warm welcome back to play. Pacific was able to keep the game within four points after the first half, but an arrant inability to score in the second half put the game out of reach as Pacific fell by 22 points in the end.

The Tigers’ schedule was further disrupted after it was announced their Saturday contest against LMU would be rescheduled while the Lions are dealing with protocols. That game has been rescheduled for Feb. 19. 

Pepperdine (6-11, 0-2):

A team can’t get much more misfortunate than drawing one of the top programs in the country to open up its conference schedule against. The Waves drew that short straw by having to travel up to Spokane on Saturday to take on a Zags team that had missed out on two weeks of games prior.

While Pepperdine tied the most points it’s scored in a game all season with 83, the Waves couldn’t even slow down the Zags, much less stop them, at any point of the game. The 34-point loss to GU was followed with a 10-point loss to USD on Monday. The entire Waves’ team shooting percentage fell to 31.9% during the game, and they’ll look to adjust before two more home games this week.