Season in Review
The West Coast Conference was actually very good this season. It ranked eighth in KenPom's conference rankings, the highest since 2015 when it had three 20 win teams. This year, it had four, although they will likely only get one team into the tournament. That team is Gonzaga, who if you haven't heard, has been pretty good. They have made a vastly improved league with multiple really good players and teams their bitch. It really has overshadowed teams like St. Mary's and San Francisco, and even teams much further down the totem pole like Pepperdine who have really improved. Still, the Zags ran through this league, going undefeated and none of their games finished within single digits in conference play. It's unfortunate that this tournament seems sort of inevitable as I think there are some really good teams that could make noise in March, but likely won't get the chance. Still, if someone can slay the giant that is Mark Few's team, it would be a huge success and pure March basketball.
Bracket
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Contenders
Gonzaga (29-2, 16-0)
So the Zags had a good season. You can tell that by their record. Or the fact they scored 15 more points per 100 possessions than the next closest team in conference play, and allowed 15 less on the other end. Or the fact that I have four Zags on my all conference teams, and the only reason they all aren't on the first team is I kinda felt bad for some other really good players. They have the best offense in the nation, along with a top 15 defense. Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura are some of the best front court players in the country, Zach Norvell can score with the best of them, Josh Perkins is elite in pick and rolls, and they should have Killian Tillie, who was on the WCC second team and was key for last year's team, back after missing large stretches with injury. I could go on, but the point is, this is an elite team nationally that probably would've won 31 other conferences this season as well. I mean let's not forget they beat Duke on a neutral court this season, when Duke was at full strength. They are heavy favorites to win this tournament.
St. Mary's (20-11, 11-5)
The Gaels have long been viewed as "Oh they're that team that Gonzaga plays right?" nationally, but they are a remarkably consistent program that has been very, very successful under Randy Bennett. They have won at least 20 games every season since 2008, and they did so this season despite losing WCC Player of the Year Jock Landale and two other All Conference performers in Emmitt Naar and Calvin Hermanson, but as has seemingly been the case for years in Moraga, the next man stepped up and the Gaels are once again at the top of the conference. Jordan Ford tied for the conference lead in points per game at 21.5, and South Florida transfer Malik Fitts stepped up in his first season. They played Gonzaga well for their last game for a half, although they still lost by 14, and they may have the best chance to beat the Zags out of everyone else.
Sleeper Team
San Francisco (21-9, 9-7)
The Dons have the distinction of playing Gonzaga the best in WCC play, competing hard with the Bulldogs for 38 minutes before the Zags realized they were in a close game and won by 13. However, they have been good this season under Kyle Smith, especially on the offensive end. They are led by Frankie Ferrari, a senior point guard that is so fun to watch. They have been very hot and cold throughout the league, trading winning streaks with losing streaks, and they went cold late, losing their last three games. They did that earlier in conference play, and then rattled off a four game winning streak, which could be big for their tournament chances. They are also the four seed and will get another shot at Gonzaga provided they win their first game, and if they can take them down, they will have as good a shot at any other team to win the tournament.
Players to Watch
Brandon Clarke
Stats: 16.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 3.2 BPG, 68.8/30.8/68.5
That's right guys, I have left Rui Hachimura off this list. I believe that Clarke is the better player both at the college level and translating to the NBA, and he might be the best defensive player in the sport not named Zion. He is third in the nation in blocks, and he has had some highlight reel swats this year. He is also able to defend on the perimeter thanks to his elite level athleticism, and he is a joy to watch defensively. On the other end, his numbers speak for themselves, and they aren't just inflated by WCC play. He put up 27 and 10 at Creighton, 21 and 9 against Tennessee, and blocked 6 shots when they played Duke. His three point stroke isn't quite there yet, but he's got nice touch on his shot, and he also can dunk with the best of them. He is one cog in the Gonzaga machine, and I think he is the best one.
Jordan Ford
Stats: 21.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0 BPG, 49.7/43.2/79
Ford has been an excellent scorer this season for St. Mary's. As I mentioned earlier, he tied for the conference lead in scoring, and he is constantly a threat to go off. He is seemingly able to get to the basket whenever he wants thanks to his elite level speed, and he is able to finish very well around the rim. You also can't let him shoot it, as he is a deadeye from behind the arc, making 43.2% of his threes this season. He has the potential to lead the Gaels on a deep tournament run thanks to his incredible scoring ability.
Frankie Ferrari
Stats: 14.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0 BPG, 43.4/41/85.6
My love for Frankie Ferrari is well documented, and with good reason. He isn't necessarily the best athlete or anything like that, but he has a great feel for the game and plays his role really well. In the Princeton offense that Kyle Smith runs, Ferrari often has the ball in his hands and he makes the right decision a lot of the time. He doesn't turn the ball over often and is a willing passer who has excellent vision. He can also get his own shot, as you can see from his points per game, and he's a good shooter, making 41% from behind the arc. He also plays his best in the biggest games. In the eight biggest games (Buffalo, Stanford, Gonzaga x2, St. Mary's x2, and BYU x2), he averaged 19.5 points and 6 assists a game, so he should thrive in this moment as a senior.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Jordan Ford, St. Mary's
G: Frankie Ferrari, San Francisco
F: Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
F: Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
F: Yoeli Childs, BYU
Second Team
G: Josh Perkins, Gonzaga
G: Zach Norvell, Gonzaga
G: Colbey Ross, Pepperdine
F: Isaiah Pineiro, San Diego
F: Malik Fitts, St. Mary's
My Pick: Gonzaga over St. Mary's
Yeah you can't pick against Gonzaga. They are so, so, so good, and I think they are the best team in the nation, so they should be able to continue to dominate the WCC. I like St. Mary's more than BYU, so I think they'll be the runner up, but the Zags should win the tournament like they won the regular season: comfortably.
The West Coast Conference was actually very good this season. It ranked eighth in KenPom's conference rankings, the highest since 2015 when it had three 20 win teams. This year, it had four, although they will likely only get one team into the tournament. That team is Gonzaga, who if you haven't heard, has been pretty good. They have made a vastly improved league with multiple really good players and teams their bitch. It really has overshadowed teams like St. Mary's and San Francisco, and even teams much further down the totem pole like Pepperdine who have really improved. Still, the Zags ran through this league, going undefeated and none of their games finished within single digits in conference play. It's unfortunate that this tournament seems sort of inevitable as I think there are some really good teams that could make noise in March, but likely won't get the chance. Still, if someone can slay the giant that is Mark Few's team, it would be a huge success and pure March basketball.
Bracket
Contenders
Gonzaga (29-2, 16-0)
So the Zags had a good season. You can tell that by their record. Or the fact they scored 15 more points per 100 possessions than the next closest team in conference play, and allowed 15 less on the other end. Or the fact that I have four Zags on my all conference teams, and the only reason they all aren't on the first team is I kinda felt bad for some other really good players. They have the best offense in the nation, along with a top 15 defense. Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura are some of the best front court players in the country, Zach Norvell can score with the best of them, Josh Perkins is elite in pick and rolls, and they should have Killian Tillie, who was on the WCC second team and was key for last year's team, back after missing large stretches with injury. I could go on, but the point is, this is an elite team nationally that probably would've won 31 other conferences this season as well. I mean let's not forget they beat Duke on a neutral court this season, when Duke was at full strength. They are heavy favorites to win this tournament.
St. Mary's (20-11, 11-5)
The Gaels have long been viewed as "Oh they're that team that Gonzaga plays right?" nationally, but they are a remarkably consistent program that has been very, very successful under Randy Bennett. They have won at least 20 games every season since 2008, and they did so this season despite losing WCC Player of the Year Jock Landale and two other All Conference performers in Emmitt Naar and Calvin Hermanson, but as has seemingly been the case for years in Moraga, the next man stepped up and the Gaels are once again at the top of the conference. Jordan Ford tied for the conference lead in points per game at 21.5, and South Florida transfer Malik Fitts stepped up in his first season. They played Gonzaga well for their last game for a half, although they still lost by 14, and they may have the best chance to beat the Zags out of everyone else.
Sleeper Team
San Francisco (21-9, 9-7)
The Dons have the distinction of playing Gonzaga the best in WCC play, competing hard with the Bulldogs for 38 minutes before the Zags realized they were in a close game and won by 13. However, they have been good this season under Kyle Smith, especially on the offensive end. They are led by Frankie Ferrari, a senior point guard that is so fun to watch. They have been very hot and cold throughout the league, trading winning streaks with losing streaks, and they went cold late, losing their last three games. They did that earlier in conference play, and then rattled off a four game winning streak, which could be big for their tournament chances. They are also the four seed and will get another shot at Gonzaga provided they win their first game, and if they can take them down, they will have as good a shot at any other team to win the tournament.
Players to Watch
Brandon Clarke
Stats: 16.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 3.2 BPG, 68.8/30.8/68.5
That's right guys, I have left Rui Hachimura off this list. I believe that Clarke is the better player both at the college level and translating to the NBA, and he might be the best defensive player in the sport not named Zion. He is third in the nation in blocks, and he has had some highlight reel swats this year. He is also able to defend on the perimeter thanks to his elite level athleticism, and he is a joy to watch defensively. On the other end, his numbers speak for themselves, and they aren't just inflated by WCC play. He put up 27 and 10 at Creighton, 21 and 9 against Tennessee, and blocked 6 shots when they played Duke. His three point stroke isn't quite there yet, but he's got nice touch on his shot, and he also can dunk with the best of them. He is one cog in the Gonzaga machine, and I think he is the best one.
Jordan Ford
Stats: 21.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0 BPG, 49.7/43.2/79
Ford has been an excellent scorer this season for St. Mary's. As I mentioned earlier, he tied for the conference lead in scoring, and he is constantly a threat to go off. He is seemingly able to get to the basket whenever he wants thanks to his elite level speed, and he is able to finish very well around the rim. You also can't let him shoot it, as he is a deadeye from behind the arc, making 43.2% of his threes this season. He has the potential to lead the Gaels on a deep tournament run thanks to his incredible scoring ability.
Frankie Ferrari
Stats: 14.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0 BPG, 43.4/41/85.6
My love for Frankie Ferrari is well documented, and with good reason. He isn't necessarily the best athlete or anything like that, but he has a great feel for the game and plays his role really well. In the Princeton offense that Kyle Smith runs, Ferrari often has the ball in his hands and he makes the right decision a lot of the time. He doesn't turn the ball over often and is a willing passer who has excellent vision. He can also get his own shot, as you can see from his points per game, and he's a good shooter, making 41% from behind the arc. He also plays his best in the biggest games. In the eight biggest games (Buffalo, Stanford, Gonzaga x2, St. Mary's x2, and BYU x2), he averaged 19.5 points and 6 assists a game, so he should thrive in this moment as a senior.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Jordan Ford, St. Mary's
G: Frankie Ferrari, San Francisco
F: Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
F: Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga
F: Yoeli Childs, BYU
Second Team
G: Josh Perkins, Gonzaga
G: Zach Norvell, Gonzaga
G: Colbey Ross, Pepperdine
F: Isaiah Pineiro, San Diego
F: Malik Fitts, St. Mary's
My Pick: Gonzaga over St. Mary's
Yeah you can't pick against Gonzaga. They are so, so, so good, and I think they are the best team in the nation, so they should be able to continue to dominate the WCC. I like St. Mary's more than BYU, so I think they'll be the runner up, but the Zags should win the tournament like they won the regular season: comfortably.
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