Busting Brackets
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WCC Basketball: Great opportunity for teams to move up ladder in 2020-21

By Tristan Freeman

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 12: A screen displays the 60-47 final score of the Saint Mary's Gaels' win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 12, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 12: A screen displays the 60-47 final score of the Saint Mary's Gaels' win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 12, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Gonzaga will be a heavy favorite to win WCC Basketball next season. But could a surprising team climb the ranks to finishing a surprising second?

For the few not fully familiar with the power structure of WCC Basketball, there’s a clear separation between the top three teams and the other seven. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are at the top, while Saint Mary’s and BYU compete each year for the second spot and a hopeful NCAA Tournament bid. As for the others, it’s been over a decade since one of them made the Big Dance, with San Diego making it in 2008 after winning the conference tourney auto bid.

Far as an early look into next season, there’s no question that the WCC will be Gonzaga’s to lose. Even with the graduations of Killian Tillie, Admon Gilder, Ryan Woolridge and Filip Petrusev possibly going pro, the Bulldogs are still going to be loaded with talent. Drew Timme, Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi should be returning, while top-10 freshman prospect Jalen Suggs will have a huge impact in his likely lone season in Spokane. No other team in the league can compete with the firepower of Gonzaga, who is a current consensus top-6 preseason squad for 2020-21.

But who’s in the second spot at the moment? That’s a tougher question than normal based on the departures. BYU has to replace seven departing seniors, including five of their top six scorers. Connor Harding, Gavin Baxter and Alex Barcello are their top returning players, with the coaching staff hoping for big things from Utah Valley frontcourt transfers Wyatt Lowell and Richard Harward after sitting out this past season.

Saint Mary’s is in a more dire situation thanks to junior forward Malik Fitts electing to enter the NBA Draft and forego his senior season. With leading scorer Jordan Ford and Tanner Krebs graduating, that leaves no one returning for the Gaels who averaged more than seven points per game this past season. They’ll get center Matthias Tass back after getting injured but there’s little offense to speak of at the moment. And since Ford bailed them out many times these past two years, they could take a tumble in the WCC without a key transfer coming in.

While BYU and Saint Mary’s may be more vulnerable after losing their upperclassmen, that doesn’t mean that other WCC teams haven’t had departures of their own. Pacific had arguably the biggest loss this offseason with the graduation of Jhalil Tripp, while both LMU and Santa Clara have been hurt by players going to the transfer portal. Portland doesn’t matter in this equation, while Pepperdine’s hopes for next year depends on what Colbey Ross does.

The 20 ppg and 7.0 apg performer could either go pro or come back for his senior season. If he does the ladder, he and Kessler Edwards could be the next Ford-Fitts pairing that could end up in second place in the WCC. Otherwise, the Waves could be fighting to avoid the bottom-four without Ross around.

San Diego struggled this past season after losing so much production the year prior but only loses one senior rotation player in Alex Floresca. The Toreros already found a transfer guard in Frankie Hughes from Duquesne, who averaged 8.9 ppg. Expect this team to move up a few spots but even with many coming back, it’s hard to see San Diego being a top-4 team.

It’s not hard seeing San Francisco being in the top-4. In fact, they’re the best bet to crash the top-3 party in the WCC. They defeated BYU at the Hilltop this year while giving Gonzaga fits in all three of their matchups this season. They will lose key rotation pieces Jordan Ratinho and center Jimbo Lull but return its top two scorers Charles Minlend and Jamaree Bouyea, while also getting Grand Canyon transfer Damari Milstead off a redshirt season. Head coach Todd Golden is a star in the making and if rising sophomore big man Josh Kunen can have a breakout campaign, the Dons will be in business.

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Of course, Randy Bennett of Saint Mary’s and Mark Pope of BYU might just be good enough to find a way to keep their respective teams right at the top of the WCC next season, as players from those schools always seem to break out as stars. Gonzaga may already have locked up the No. 1 spot but the battle for No. 2 should be a lot more wide-open than in previous seasons.