This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • They have known this day was coming for nearly 16 months, but the realization dawned on BYU basketball coaches about a week ago. Other than a few basic facts, they really don't know a lot about the teams in their new league, the West Coast Conference.
That's a problem, because league play begins Wednesday night when preseason favorite and 11-time defending conference champion Gonzaga plays host to Portland. And BYU starts WCC play on Thursday at St. Mary's in a 9 p.m. MST game that will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Although no WCC teams are currently ranked, Gonzaga (9-2) is receiving votes in both major polls and BYU (11-3) and St. Mary's (11-2) are getting votes in the coaches poll.
"We had that discussion today in our staff meeting," BYU coach Dave Rose said after the Cougars' 89-75 win over UC Santa Barbara last week when asked to assess the WCC. "I need to do a lot of work, because I don't know the league as well. The discussion was, kind of, 'There are a couple of these teams that we have a little bit of knowledge about.' The other ones, they are just names, because I have seen stats, but I haven't seen a lot of games."
Clearly, Rose knows that BYU's stiffest challenges will come from the Bulldogs and Gaels. Some are already calling Gonzaga, St. Mary's and BYU the "Big Three" after those schools went 31-7 in nonconference games. Others are saying that the WCC could be a three-bid league in the NCAA Tournament, and is probably better than the Pac-12 this season, especially at the top.
However, the middle tier of the league — 9-4 San Francisco, 7-4 Santa Clara, 6-5 Pepperdine and 6-6 Loyola Marymount — has been wildly inconsistent with eye-opening wins over major conference opponents one week and puzzling losses to irrelevant teams the next.
"We will just have to get busy on the [playing] styles and what each coach likes to do," Rose said. "That was one thing [in the MWC], the players would always change, but from year to year, 12 years in the league, you had some coaches that would change, but you could figure out what they were going to do, what their style was.
"This will be new," Rose continued. "This will be a new experience every night, and I am kind of looking forward to it."
One can bet the longtime WCC teams are looking forward to showing the new kid on the block that they play a pretty good brand of basketball, and aren't going to roll over and let BYU muscle its way to the top in its first year.
"Our league is tough," Pepperdine coach Marty Wilson, the former University of Utah assistant, told the Spokesman-Review. "It's been tough for a long time. Actually, BYU coming in makes it a little tougher, but Gonzaga is still the team to beat, no matter what."
The Cougars whipped the Zags 89-67 in an NCAA Tournament second-round game last year, but Gonzaga has almost every contributor back, while BYU lost not only national player of the year Jimmer Fredette and defensive ace Jackson Emery to graduation, but unsung utility player Kyle Collinsworth to a two-year church mission.
WCC team previews
(In order of preseason coaches poll)
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Coach • Mark Few
Last season • 25-10
This season • 9-2
Conference outlook • The Bulldogs have won a share of 11 straight WCC titles, the longest active conference title winning streak in the nation, and the second-longest in NCAA history. They've been picked to do it again, have done nothing to show they aren't a contender this year, but the path is a bit more difficult with BYU in the league.
St. Mary's Gaels
Coach • Randy Bennett
Last season • 25-9
This season • 11-2
Conference outlook • The only team in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both scoring defense and scoring margin, the Gaels were on an eight-game winning streak before losing to No. 6 Baylor in Las Vegas last week. They were picked to finish second in the league, just ahead of BYU, and play host to the Cougars in their WCC opener on Thursday.
BYU Cougars
Coach • Dave Rose
Last season • 32-5
This season • 11-3
Conference outlook • The Cougars have the ingredients to make some noise in their first year in the WCC, but have yet to show they can win a game they weren't supposed to win. The addition of point guard Matt Carlino has solidified the backcourt, and the frontcourt is good enough to challenge Gonzaga for the league title.
San Francisco Dons
Coach • Rex Walters
Last season • 19-15
This season • 9-4
Conference outlook • They are off to their best start since 1999, but had their four-game winning streak snapped at Holy Cross last week. In his fourth season, Walters has turned the Dons into a threat in every game, but despite having capable seniors Rashad Green and Angelo Calolaro back, probably doesn't have the talent to challenge the Big Three this year.
Santa Clara Broncos
Coach • Kerry Keating
Last season • 24-14
This season • 7-4
Conference outlook • Before a puzzling loss at Houston Baptist last week, the Broncos were looking like a possible contender after beating Villanova 65-64 on Nov. 27. Keating will have one of the highest-scoring clubs in the league, with guard Kevin Foster firing away from the outside. Foster is the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers (284).
Loyola Marymount Lions
Coach • Max Good
Last season • 11-21
This season • 6-6
Conference outlook • The Lions have 13 players back from last year, and are the only WCC team to have beaten two ranked teams this season, UCLA and St. Louis. But they've also lost to some inferior opponents, including Morgan State and Columbia. Sophomore Anthony Ireland is averaging 14.5 points a game and leads the league in minutes played.
Portland Pilots
Coach • Eric Reveno
Last season • 20-12
This season • 3-10
Conference outlook • As a recent 72-62 loss to the University of Utah would attest, the Pilots struggled in nonconference games, and enter Wednesday night's league opener at Gonzaga on a six-game losing skid. Usually a decent offensive team, the Pilots have had trouble scoring, with Ryan Nicholas (11.3) and Tim Douglas (10.6) the only players averaging in double figures.
Pepperdine Waves
Coach • Marty Wilson
Last season • 12-21
This season • 6-5
Conference outlook • A former University of Utah assistant coach, Wilson is in his second season as the Waves' head coach and has established a defensive mentality in Malibu. The Waves defeated Arizona State in November, and last week held Montana State to just 36 points, the fewest surrendered by a Pepperdine team since 1952.
San Diego Torreros
Coach • Bill Grier
Last season • 6-24
This season • 5-7
Conference outlook • With 10 underclassmen on the roster, San Diego again is fielding one of the youngest teams in the league. Freshman guard Johnny Dee has been a pleasant surprise, averaging 14.6 points per game, and junior forward Chris Manresa is picking up where he left off last year, ranking second in the WCC in rebounding with 8.8 per game.