In recent memory, there isn’t another mid-major conference tournament quite like the WCC Tournament. A league long dominated by Gonzaga and sometimes Saint Mary’s has rarely seen other teams thrive, especially in an elongated double stepladder format that gives great incentives to that regular season dominance. With that being said, there’s no guarantee that those top two seeds will be in the finals, even with that bye to the semifinals.
With the WCC Tournament officially underway, having started late Thursday night in Las Vegas, we’re going to take a closer look at a few of the players who could really stand out in this field. These aren’t just five of the best players in the WCC this season, but players who can truly inspire their team to victories in this event.
Adama Bal – Santa Clara
Santa Clara’s leading scorer and a major piece of this season’s puzzle, Bal is a senior guard from France who’s done well with the Broncos since transferring from Arizona. He’s averaging 13.1 points and 3.1 assists per game, makes 38% of his 3-pointers and has shown up when needed for this team. Bal had 20 points in the team’s upset win at Gonzaga just over a month ago and has really found his touch from outside, nailing 50% of his 3’s over the last six games.
Graham Ike – Gonzaga
Although Gonzaga is not the top seed in this field, Ike will do whatever necessary to avenge earlier losses and gives the Bulldogs a major push forward. The program’s best scorer and rebounder this season, the former Wyoming forward averages 17.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and as adhered himself well as the next major frontcourt weapon in Spokane. He’s the conference leader in field goal percentage and a major threat when he’s on his game, like he was with 24 points at Santa Clara last week.
Paulius Murauskas – Saint Mary’s
While a lot of attention goes towards Augustas Marciulionis or Mitchell Saxen, this sophomore forward from Lithuania has really taken a step in the right direction. Murauskas is averaging 12.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, earning All-WCC honors this week thanks to an efficient and productive season after transferring from Arizona. He put up 30 against Washington State just a few weeks ago and is always a threat to go off, with potential to score all over the court for the top-seeded Gaels.
Michael Rataj – Oregon State
Year one for the Beavers in the WCC resulted in just a 5th place finish, though Rataj is a major reason for that success out the gate. The German forward put up 17.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, taking a major step forward in year three at Oregon State while making nearly half of his field goal attempts this season. He put up 30 points in a win over Santa Clara and hit 29 in the Beavers’ upset over Gonzaga and can really inspire this team on a run with another performance or two like that.
Malik Thomas – San Francisco
One of the league’s most talented guards, Thomas is a former Top 100 recruit who’s really found a home in San Francisco after limited work with USC. Year two with the Dons saw him average 19.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, leading the WCC in both scoring and steals, with 1.7 thefts per contest as well. Thomas is an efficient weapon on both sides of the ball, helping lead San Francisco to the 3-seed in this event. His strong performances helped inspire some nice wins, including the upset over Saint Mary’s just a month ago.