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WCC Basketball: Gonzaga finally has challengers

By Doug Winkey

March 8, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few speaks to the crowd against the Saint Mary's Gaels after the game in the finals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 8, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few speaks to the crowd against the Saint Mary's Gaels after the game in the finals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 25, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few yells against the Syracuse Orange during the first half in a semifinal game in the Midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few yells against the Syracuse Orange during the first half in a semifinal game in the Midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

This could be the year that Gonzaga finally see real competition in the WCC basketball league.

Over the past 20 years, Gonzaga has won the WCC’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid an astounding 14 times. Few teams in the country can match that sort of consistent success.

This year could be no different as head coach Mark Few enters his 18th year at the helm in Spokane. He brings along one of the most talented freshman classes in program history, along with high-major college transfers from Washington and Missouri.

That doesn’t mean the Bulldogs won’t have to fight for their automatic NCAA Tournament birth this season though. Saint Mary’s swept Gonzaga in the regular season last year and BYU hasn’t finished worse than third in the WCC after leaving the Mountain West. Both of these programs have the talent to stay near the top of the heap.

Of the other seven schools, four of them will have new coaches stalking the sidelines. Two of the programs (Pacific and Portland) have former NBA players with vast amounts of playing experience as their new head men.

While it’s hard to see the four new coaches making an impact in a league that has so little parity, anything is still possible in the world of college basketball.

The other thing to keep in mind with this conference is that while Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga and BYU are all very talented programs, the rest of the conference was not particularly good last season. There are four new coaches for a reason as the WCC was just the 16th best conference overall in terms of RPI.