WCC Basketball: Final Power Rankings and Team Grades for 2017-18

Before we look ahead to next season, let’s take one final look at WCC Basketball and what occurred during the 2017-18 season.

Coming off of the being the first WCC representative to play in the national title game in decades, Gonzaga found themselves in second place again – this time in the preseason coaches poll to Saint Mary’s.

The Gaels returned all of their best offensive threats, including Jock Landale. That led them to get picked first, with BYU once again bringing up the rear in third. After the Cougars, it’s once again a crapshoot, with the top teams hoping that at least one of them can rise to the occasion and become a threat.

And that did happen, with Pacific, San Diego, and San Francisco taking turns giving BYU a scare for that third spot. As for first place, the Gaels and Bulldogs both winning on each other’s court before a slip up by Saint Mary’s gave Gonzaga another regular-season title.

An upset by BYU sent Saint Mary’s to the NIT, with the Cougars following suit by losing in the WCC Tournament title game to those same Zags.

There were some surprises and disappointments in the WCC. Here are the final rankings and grades for each team.

10. Pepperdine Waves 6-26 (2-16)

2017-18 postseason result: None

Season Grade: F

Injuries once again derailed this team’s season, but this time it cost head coach Marty Wilson his job. The defense was just awful, with the Waves giving up 40% shooting from three-point range. Outside of taking BYU to overtime, just wasn’t anything to be proud of.

9. LMU Lions 11-20 (5-13)

2017-18 postseason result: None

Season Grade: D+

After what was a competitive non-conference campaign with a few close calls with some good teams, LMU fell flat on their face against the WCC. The Lions lost 12 of 13 games at one point before pulling off the home upset on BYU.

Winning four of six to end the season probably saved Mike Dunlap’s job, and might give LMU some momentum into next season.