WCC Basketball: BYU, Pacific rises in latest 2020-21 power rankings

Jan 7, 2021; Spokane, Washington, USA; Brigham Young Cougars forward Matt Haarms (3) reacts after being called for a foul during a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half of a WCC men’s basketball game at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

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Sam Scholl San Diego Toreros WCC Basketball (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

10. San Diego Toreros (1-6, 0-3)

It’s been a rough season for the rebuilding Toreros, who just a road win at Cal Poly as the lone positive sign. To their credit, they’ve been competitive in the three games in WCC play, losing by no more than eight points. One of them came in overtime against Loyola Marymount on Tuesday. Their matchup at Portland is a great opportunity to get in the win column, as the schedule is set to get much tougher in the coming weeks.

Joey Calcaterra leads the team in scoring in five games played at 15.2 ppg, while Rice transfer Josh Parrish is the team’s other double-digit scorer at 10.7 ppg. With five of San Diego’s top six scorers all being juniors, they have a good foundation to bounce back for 2021-22.

9. Portland Pilots (6-7, 0-4)

The Pilots had a great start to the season, going 6-2. But they’ve since lost five straight, including all four WCC matchups that included a pair against San Francisco. All of them were by at least 15 points, despite Portland being close in the first half. Their defensive issues will be their downfall this season, despite improved offensive play.

Senior guard Ahmed Ali leads the team with 17.8 ppg and 3.1 apg and has been a consistent source of scoring. Juniors Eddie Davis, Latrell Jones, and Isiah Dasher have been solid contributors as well but the absence of forward Tahirou Diabate has been felt in the frontcourt. They’ve been bad in terms of two-point defense and with BYU and their depth of bigs coming up, it could get ugly.