This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There are at least two constants in the West Coast Conference, the BYU Cougars have learned as they enter their fourth season in the so-called church league of college basketball.
Gonzaga was, is and probably always will be the conference's most dominant force. Coach Mark Few's teams have won 13 of the past 15 regular-season championships, and 11 of the past 15 conference tournaments. The Bulldogs (11-1) are ranked No. 8 in the country heading into Saturday's league opener at BYU and easily could be undefeated, if not for an overtime loss at No. 3 Arizona.
"I am not surprised [at how well Gonzaga played in the nonconference portion of the season]," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "We knew the challenge coming in this year was going to be Gonzaga. It is great to have a team in our league that is on the national level all the time."
Because of Gonzaga's presence, there's probably not an easier league race to predict in the entire country than the WCC. The real battle this season, again, will be for second place, where BYU and Saint Mary's are the most obvious candidates.
The second constant in the WCC is outstanding 3-point shooting. What the league lacks in athleticism and size — Gonzaga notwithstanding — it makes up in snipers, players who can shoot the lights out.
The WCC leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, 37.7 percent, and BYU found out last year at Portland and Pepperdine that no lead is safe, especially on the road.
It's a fairly high-scoring league, too, ranking fourth in scoring (73.2 ppg.) and third in field-goal percentage (46.1 percent).
Conference play begins Saturday with the WCC owning a 74-42 record against nonconference foes and the eighth-best conference RPI in the country, just two slots below the Pac-12 and three slots ahead of the Mountain West Conference.
WCC teams went 8-8 against the MWC and 4-10 against the Pac-12
A look at each team in predicted order of finish:
1. Gonzaga (10-1)
The Bulldogs have their sights on a Final Four run. They are that good, with senior guard Kevin Pangos playing at an elite level and transfers Kyle Wiltjer (Kentucky) and Byron Wesley (USC) and freshman Domantas Sabonis joining mainstays Przemek Karnowski and Gary Bell to form one of the most talented teams in the country.
Nonconference MVP: Kevin Pangos
Best win: St. John's
Worst loss: Arizona
2. BYU (10-3)
When healthy, the Cougars are as talented as any team in the league not named Gonzaga, and they are the highest-scoring team in the country, averaging 88.0 points per game. But forward Nate Austin (hamstring) and guard Tyler Haws (ankle) have been slowed by injuries, and the Cougars lack inside depth and are still inconsistent on defense.
Nonconference MVP: Tyler Haws
Best win: Stanford
Worst loss: Purdue
3. Saint Mary's (7-3)
If not for a last-second loss on their home floor to Northern Arizona, the Gaels could have had a stellar nonconference run. Big man Brad Waldow ranks second in the league in scoring (21.7) and first in rebounding (10.7). He could push BYU's Haws and Gonzaga's Pangos for Player of the Year honors if the Gaels stay near the top of the league standings.
Nonconference MVP: Brad Waldow
Best win: Creighton
Worst loss: Northern Arizona
4. Portland (9-3)
The Pilots started 5-0, their best start since 2009-10, and signaled they could be the surprise team of the league this season, like USF was last year. Seniors Kevin Bailey and Thomas van der Mars and sophomore Alec Wintering are three of the better players in the league, and Volodymyr Gerun has been an early contributor as well.
Nonconference MVP: Thomas van der Mars
Best win: Washington State
Worst loss: Cal Poly
5. San Francisco (6-6)
If they can figure out how to beat BYU, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, after having gone 0-7 against the league's Big Three last year, the Dons might some day back up coach Rex Walters' annual boasts. With Kruize Pinkins (16.5 ppg.) leading a talented crew that includes Matt Glover, Tim Derksen and Mark Tollefsen, the pieces are in place.
Nonconference MVP: Kruize Pinkins
Best win: Hawaii
Worst loss: Cal Poly
6. San Diego (7-5)
Senior guards Johnny Dee and Chris Anderson give the Torreros a dynamite backcourt, one of the best in the league, but coach Bill Grier's team had a mildly disappointing preseason because it couldn't pull off a notable upset despite an upgraded schedule that included games against Boise State, Xavier, San Diego State and UCLA.
Nonconference MVP: Johnny Dee
Best win: Princeton
Worst loss: Western Michigan
7. Pepperdine (7-3)
Junior forward Stacy Davis overcame an offseason hand injury to pace the Waves, averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds in 10 games, while sophomore guard Jeremy Major and junior forward Jett Raines are stat-sheet fillers who will keep coach Marty Wilson's team in almost every game.
Nonconference MVP: Stacy Davis
Best win: Fresno State
Worst loss: Richmond
8. Santa Clara (5-6)
Before suffering back-to-back home losses before Christmas to Northeastern and Cal Poly, the Broncos were having a strong preseason against a killer road schedule that included Utah State, Michigan State and Tennessee. High-scoring guards Brandon Clark and Jared Brownridge will be tough to handle for every WCC team.
Nonconference MVP: Brandon Clark
Best win: Washington State
Worst loss: Cal Poly
9. Loyola Marymount (4-8)
The only team in the league with a new coach (Mike Dunlap), the Lions will rely on sophomore guard Evan Payne to lead a young team that includes just 11 years of Division I basketball experience. They showed they can be dangerous by taking Nebraska to the wire in Hawaii in an overtime loss.
Nonconference MVP: Evan Payne
Best win: DePaul
Worst loss: Northern Arizona
10. Pacific (8-4)
The Tigers made some noise in their inaugural season in the league last year by upsetting BYU at home, but lost a lot of seniors and will start over with some talented guards in T.J. Wallace and Dulani Robinson. Wins over Nevada and Fresno State at the Spanos Center provided some good momentum heading into Saturday's opener against USF.
Nonconference MVP: T.J. Wallace
Best win: Nevada
Worst loss: Western Michigan
Twitter: @drewjay —
Top college basketball conferences
Based on the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index:
Conference Wins Losses RPI
1. Big 12 93 19 0.5986
2. Big East 85 30 0.5761
3. SEC 99 46 0.5693
4. ACC 125 41 0.5637
5. Big Ten 126 43 0.5632
6. Pac 12 98 37 0.5590
7. Atlantic 10 89 55 0.5505
8. West Coast 74 42 0.5188