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The BYU Cougars have been picked to finish third in their first men's basketball season in the West Coast Conference.

In a preseason poll of the league's nine coaches, Gonzaga has picked to win the league for the 12th straight year. St. Mary's is picked second.

Also on Thursday at the WCC media day in San Bruno, Calif., BYU center Brandon Davies was selected to the 10-member preseason all-conference team.

One head coach picked BYU to win the league, one picked St. Mary's, and the other seven chose No. 23 Gonzaga, which has won or shared the last 11 WCC regular-season titles.

Gonzaga placed two players on the all-conference team, center Robert Sacre and forward Elias Harris.

BYU advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season, knocking off Gonzaga in a second-round game without Davies, who was suspended on March 1 after averaging 11.1 points and six rebounds per game as a sophomore.

Six of the nine WCC teams, including BYU, begin their seasons on Nov. 11. The Cougars travel to Logan to take on Utah State that night.