It’s the last year of the WCC as we know it, with several teams set to leave for the Pac-12 Conference. Ahead is an 18-game marathon with both a regular-season title on the line, along with favorable seeding for the conference tournament in March.
With non-con play completed, which teams are the ones to beat at the top? And who are the standout players overall? Here’s a look at the latest power rankings for WCC Basketball, including a look at the midway all-league teams of players.
12. Pepperdine Waves
Record: 5-8
Pepperdine didn’t have to use the transfer portal to find its best players, as its two leading scorers, Aaron Clark (14.5 ppg) and Javon Cooley (13.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg), both sat out last season. However, outside of sophomore forward Danilo Dozic (11.8 ppg), who has doubled his production from a year ago, the rest of the frontcourt has underachieved. With no key wins and troubling defensive signs, the Waves could be headed for a bottom finish.
11. San Diego Toreros
Record: 5-7
After going 6-26 last season, this roster is at least an improvement, including an 82-80 win over UC San Diego. It’s still a roster that doesn’t feature a ton of firepower, with Wake Forest transfer Ty-Laur Johnson (12.9 ppg and 3.7 apg) the lone player scoring over 11 ppg on the roster. The Toreros will be more competitive this time around, but they are still unlikely to move up in the WCC ladder.
10. Portland Pilots
Record: 7-6
Defense remains an issue for the Pilots, giving up 83+ ppg in over half of their games. But two emerging bright spots have emerged in freshmen leading scorers, Timo George (12.7 ppg) and Joel Foxwell (13 ppg and 7.1 apg), who leads the entire WCC in passing. They combined for 21 points and 18 assists in the big home win over Kent State, with Foxwell a contender for Freshman of the Year.
9. Pacific Tigers
Record: 9-4
The Tigers already matched their win total from a year ago, including road wins over Air Force and Cal State Fullerton. Returning forward Elias Ralph (17.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg) is making a case for all-team, including a 31-point effort to beat Air Force. Other transfers have made a solid impact, including former Long Beach guard TJ Wainwright (13.2 ppg) and Isaac Jack, a former Dayton center averaging 9.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg.
8. Washington State Cougars
Record: 5-8
The Cougars have another elite freshman in the WCC in Ace Glass III, who leads them with 15.9 ppg. That includes a 40-point effort against Arizona State in the Maui Invitational. There’s solid balance surrounding Glass, with five others scoring between 8-10 ppg. While the overall record isn’t great, only a home loss to Idaho to open the year would be viewed as a bad loss. Still, we’ll see if Wazzu can find someone other than Glass to come through consistently in league play.
7. Oregon State Beavers
Record: 7-6
On a roster filled with transfers, the Beavers' MVP in non-con is third-year guard Josiah Lake II. He leads the team with 13.8 ppg and 3.7 apg, including 23 points and nine rebounds to lead them to an upset win over Arizona State. Oregon State has solid frontcourt depth as well, including 7’0 center Noah Amenhauser (7.4 ppg) and 6’10 freshman forward, Olavi Suutela. The Beavers did a good job replacing their top five players a year ago, but will they be able to remain in the top half of the WCC standings?
6. LMU Lions
Record: 9-4
The injury to starting point guard Jan Vide hurt the Lions in the past month, but he’s back for league play. With him and guards MJ Amey Jr. and Rodney Brown Jr., who combine to average nearly 30 ppg, LMU presents one of the better offensive units in the WCC to prepare for. USC transfer forward Jalen Shelley (12.1 ppg and 6.8 rpg) remains an x-factor to watch in the frontcourt, having a breakout sophomore year.
5. San Francisco Dons
Record: 8-5
The tough non-con was a mixed bag for the Dons, with wins over Mississippi State and Minnesota, and losses to Memphis, Nevada, and North Alabama. Sophomore Ryan Beasley leads the team with 13 ppg, with forwards David Fuchs and Mookie Cook also in double figures. They’re a team that shoots well and has size but doesn’t force turnovers, which makes them vulnerable to future upsets unless someone breaks out into an all-league performer during WCC play.
4. Santa Clara Broncos
Record: 9-4
The Broncos started the season strong, winning over Minnesota and Xavier. But they’ve also lost 3 of the last 4 games, including to the lowly Loyola Chicago Ramblers. After sitting out last year, sophomore guard Christian Hammond has broken out into a conference star, leading the team with 17.3 ppg, including 27 in the win over Nevada. Forward Elijah Mahi (14.4 ppg) has also taken a leap as a full-time starter. It’s a balanced unit with a POY candidate who has already shown the ability to win key games.
3. Seattle Redhawks
Record: 11-2
In 13 years in the WAC, the Redhawks only finished in the top-3 of the standings once. They have a case to do that in their first year in the league, getting big road wins over Stanford and Washington. Senior guard Brayden Maldonado (15.9 ppg and 2.4 apg) is an all-league player right now, including a 28-point outing against UTEP. Will Heimbrodt (13.8 ppg) is having a breakout sophomore campaign, while former Gonzaga forward Jun Seok Yeo (12.2 ppg) is doing the same after being unable to break the Bulldogs’ rotation a year ago. Seattle has a brutal schedule to start league play, but if they can sneak some wins, there’s a chance for them to finish much higher than anyone expected.
2. Saint Mary’s Gaels
Record: 11-2
The Gaels may have lost key players from a year ago, but once again, find guys to fill the gaps. Mikey Lewis (15.2 ppg) is the new lead guard, while Paulis Murauskas (18.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg) is a POY candidate as the focal point of the offense. 7’1 junior center Andrew McKeever (9.3 ppg and 9.8 rpg) has been a pleasant surprise inside, averaging nearly a double-double. With wins over Virginia Tech, Davidson, and Northern Iowa on their resume, the Gaels are hunting for an at-large bid, as well as another WCC title.
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Record: 12-1
Outside of a blowout loss to Michigan, Gonzaga handled business in their non-con. The gaudy resume includes wins over Creighton, Maryland, UCLA, Kentucky, and Alabama. Braden Huff (19.1 ppg) leads the conference in scoring, while Graham Ike (17 ppg and 8.3 rpg) is having not only a WCC POY campaign but also an All-American spot. Grand Canyon transfer Tyon Grant-Foster (10.7 ppg) is the other double-digit scorer on the roster, while freshman guard Mario Saint-Supery (4.5 apg) is the x-factor to watch as the starting playmaker. The Bulldogs have earned the right to be the team to beat heading into WCC play, but there are definitely some teams that can give them a fight in the next eight weeks.
Midseason All-WCC teams
1st Team
- Braden Huff (Gonzaga)
- Graham Ike (Gonzaga)
- Paulius Murauskas (Saint Mary’s)
- Christian Hammond (Santa Clara)
- Brayden Maldonado (Seattle)
2nd Team
- Eliah Ralph (Pacific)
- MJ Amey (LMU)
- Mikey Lewis (Saint Mary’s)
- Josiah Lake (Oregon State)
- Ace Glass II (Washington State)
Midseason POY: Graham Ike (Gonzaga)
Midseason Coach of the Year: Mark Few (Gonzaga)
Midseason Defensive POY: Graham Ike (Gonzaga)
6th Man: MJ Amey Jr. (LMU)
Freshman: Ace Glass III (Washington State)