The non-conference yielded some surprising results for WCC basketball. Here are five questions to think about as league play begins this week.
1. Will Santa Clara knock off one of the top three?
The most disappointing team in the league has to be the Broncos after a 3-9 dismal start. Herb Sandek’s team was penciled to finish in the top half of the league and still has a chance to do so.
Who should be really worried is the trio of Gonzaga, BYU, and Saint Mary’s, who each have to travel to Santa Clara this month, with the Zags playing twice against the Broncos. This is still a very talented team, but now a loss to the Broncos will be devastating resume-wise. Will any fall to Santa Clara this month?
2. Can Gonzaga’s Wade get meaningful minutes in league play?
Josh Perkins has played well as the primary point guard for the Zags this season, averaging 14.0 ppg and 5.2 apg while becoming one of the top 3-point shooters in the country.
After him is a question mark, as neither Silas Melson nor Zach Norvell is a traditional point guard and the half court offense struggles show. But there is a point guard on the bench in Jesse Wade, who has been seldom used this season. He’s coming off a two-year mission in France and has dealt with a shoulder injury at the start of the season. The San Diego State loss showed that another ball handler is needed, is Wade it?
3. Will the Gaels’ defense improve?
Saint Mary’s returned their top offensive players in Emmett Naar, Calvin Hermanson, and Jock Landale but the losses of their two best defenders in Dane Pineau and Joe Rahon have hurt this year’s defense. Saint Mary’s is currently ranked 174th in defense according to KenPom analytics, which is below average based on the competition. That makes this team very vulnerable to upsets in league play, something that’s already happened twice over the non-conference slate.
4. Who’s the better team: San Diego or San Francisco?
San Diego has been a positive surprise, winning road games at New Mexico State and Grand Canyon and better yet, avoiding awful losses. San Francisco returns most of last year’s team, and defeated Nevada just recently. The Dons also is waiting for their All-WCC preseason forward Charles Minlend, who’s dealing with a shoulder injury, to return. Between these two teams, who’ll have the better record?
5. Can BYU avoid a bad loss?
The Cougars will have their biggest game of the season this Saturday with a home game against Saint Mary’s. But the real test will be the rest of the games this month, with a bunch of “rpi bombs” along the way.
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Since arriving in the WCC, BYU has averaged at least a couple, if not more of those types of losses. While beating both Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s will be important this season, winning the other games might be even more vital to their postseason hopes.