Busting Brackets
Fansided

WCC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2020-21 season

By Connor Gilbert

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Pope of the BYU Cougars applauds his players as he calls in a play during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 26, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Pope of the BYU Cougars applauds his players as he calls in a play during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 26, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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HONOLULU, HI – DECEMBER 22: Chase Adams #10 of the Portland Pilots (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
HONOLULU, HI – DECEMBER 22: Chase Adams #10 of the Portland Pilots (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

10. Portland

Last season: 9-23 (1-15), 10th place

Portland has won seven total conference games over the past four years, and only one (!) in the past two. In that four-year span, they’ve never ranked higher than No. 278 in the country in scoring offense or finished higher than ninth in the conference.

Coming into next season, the Pilots also lose their leading scorer to graduation in Isaiah White and have no recruits listed as coming in the fall on ESPN or 247Sports. I don’t think I need to reiterate that things aren’t great in Portland, but here I will: they are bleak. Coach Terry Porter likely has loftier expectations than the conference’s basement, but right now it doesn’t look like the team is moving in the right direction — or any at all, for that matter.

9.  San Diego

Last season: 9-23 (2-14), 9th place

The Toreros are one of a few teams in the league’s mid-to-bottom tier that will return a good amount of their roster in the rebuilding process. They were also able to bolster depth with a couple of power-conference transfers in Yavuz Gultekin from Texas A&M and Chris Herren Jr. from Boston College (although the latter will sit out next year even if the NCAA approves a one-time waiver).

Still, last year was a downer after Sam Scholl’s 21-win first year. USD regressed on both ends of the court and finished the season with six straight losses. A complete turnaround is possible, but with multiple other teams in a similar position trending upwards concurrently, it doesn’t bode well for a top-five finish.

8. Pacific

Last season: 23-10 (11-5), 4th place

Losing Jahlil Tripp is an expected and natural blow to the Tigers, but it’s still a blow nonetheless. All year, Pacific turned conference games into defensive slugfests, and it led to Damon Stoudamire becoming the WCC’s Coach of the Year. Tripp’s exceptional motor and ability to draw contact was crucial to maintaining momentum in those games though, and his scoring doesn’t look replaceable anytime soon. Gary Chivichyan’s graduation additionally removes all of Pacific’s backcourt, which was a crux of their defensive approach.

Without those two, there will be games Pacific will struggle to win with their style of play, especially as the top of the league has become increasingly hard to contain on offense. No other player on the returning roster has cracked double-digit scoring as well.

The development of rising senior Justin Moore (8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists last year) as a lead guard will be critical to whether the Tigers stay afloat.