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

2. BYU Cougars (11-3, 2-1)

It was a brutal road matchup with Gonzaga, trailing as many as 32 points in the 86-69 loss. They nearly went down 0-2, trailing Saint Mary’s in the second half in Moraga. But an elite defensive performance by the Cougars allowed them to pull the game out. It was a similar scenario versus San Francisco, led by 19 points by leading scorer Alex Barcello and a collective effort overall.

While BYU doesn’t have many stars, they do have a quality bench. Richard Harward has been a force inside, while JUCO transfer Gideon George has been impactful on both ends of the court. Outside of the last game of the regular season (Gonzaga), BYU has a very favorable schedule for the rest of the way. And more importantly, the Cougars’ at-large situation is in great shape right now.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-0, 5-0)

As expected, the Bulldogs have been thrashing the WCC. They’ve yet to trail in the second half and won by fewer than 14 points. They struggled in the first half against Saint Mary’s and needed 20 minutes to get a comfortable lead versus Pepperdine. Still, the odds are very high that Gonzaga will finish unbeaten in the conference.

The four stars continue to thrive for the Bulldogs, led by National Player of the year Corey Kispert (20.9 ppg). Big man Drew Timme (18.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg) and star point guard Jalen Suggs continues to play well, while Joel Ayayi had the program’s first triple-double in their 116-88 victory over Portland.

Gonzaga finishes out the month with matchups against Pacific, San Diego, and Pepperdine. If they’re bored and starts to sleepwalk, the Bulldogs may finally have a competitive second half to play. Otherwise, these games will continue to be a blowout.