3. BYU 8-2
-1 spot
Last week: Defeated Utah State 82-71, Lost to Creighton 71-83
This week: Weber State
The Cougars suffered a major loss with the season-ending injury of Gavin Baxter, who was playing in the place of Richard Harward who has been out since the start of the season with a heart issue. The Cougars are suddenly small. They started Caleb Lohner at the 5 the last two games and he disappeared a bit on offense and got into foul trouble. Mark Pope and company are going to need to figure out how to play a more spaced-out lineup to keep their tournament hopes alive.
2. San Francisco 10-0
+1 spot
Last week: Defeated Fresno State 71-63
This week: Grand Canyon, at Arizona State
Look at the San Francisco Dons, one of just seven undefeated teams in the country. They’ve done so by shooting efficiently while for the majority from three, averaging 28 attempts per game. Jamaree Bouyea seems to be well in the clubhouse for conference season honors. And the backcourt in general has been phenomenal together. This week they knocked off a Bulldogs team that was 3-0 versus the WCC this season. They can verify their dominant season with wins against Grand Canyon University and Arizona State in back-to-back nights.
1. Gonzaga 8-2
Last week: Defeated Merrimack 80-55
This week: Texas Tech
Gonzaga looked a lot more comfortable in their lone game following their loss to Alabama. The Zags still have a lot to figure out when it comes to their rotations and initiating the offense. Their offense has looked disjointed at times when getting Drew Timme involved isn’t easy. They’re shooting 32.9% from three, which puts them in the bottom half of the country. All of this is to say that for the first time in a long time, the Zags have some noticeable blemishes during their season run.
Despite those marks, they still have one of the best offenses in the country. The Zags will have their last major nonconference test against the Red Raiders, who have the size to disrupt the paint again.