West Coast Conference 2020-21 - College Basketball Preview

The West Coast Conference is one that has provided plenty of Cinderella teams. However, it is going to be very important to note that the time of teams sneaking up out of the WCC is gone and now a lot of teams know to take them seriously. So who is going to come out on top in what has started to become a powerhouse conference this year?

Gonzaga Bulldogs ( 31-2 Last Year )

Gonzaga has turned into the West Coast version of Kentucky with highly rated recruit classes. The downside is the Bulldogs will be pressed to keep the players happy with playing time.

BYU Cougars ( 24-8 Last Year )

The Cougars landed a couple of great recruits this year and they are players that could have an immediate impact. Now, the immediate impact will be needed as the Cougars lost almost all of their scoring from last year.

Pepperdine Wave ( 16-16 Last Year )

Pepperdine is bringing back most of their scoring from last year and does not have to make a lot of adjustments to the roster. The downside is Pepperdine did not add any talent to the frontcourt  that can really battle for the ball.

San Francisco Dons ( 22-12 Last Year )

The Dons are not one team that can be laughed at anymore. The Dons have been a leader in the WCC lately and are one team that has been able to continue to build on the success.

Saint Mary’s Gaels ( 26-8 Last Year )

Saint Mary’s is one team that has ended up playing really well year in and year out. However, the Gaels are now one team that could move up quite a bit with the consistent play, but if anyone goes down depth is questionable at best.

Pacific Tigers ( 23-10 Last Year )

Did Pacific turn a corner last year? That depends as the Tigers have lost one of the best players in the WCC this past year, but have a good group of players coming in that could help build up the success.

Santa Clara Broncos ( 20-13 Last Year )

Santa Clara is a team that should be good this year with a good front court that has managed to hold the inside nicely. However, a big problem for the Santa Clara team is the fact that they lost their backcourt that was experienced and has to rely on inexperienced younger players.

San Diego Toreros ( 9-23 Last Year )

San Diego ended up getting a lot of transfers into their program this year and most are 4 year players. The downside is none of those players fill the true needs of a defensive stalwart or offensive threat.

Loyola Marymount Lions ( 11-21 Last Year )

The Lions are coming in with the same head coach and most of the same players. The downside is they were not that good before with those players and may start to look for the better recruiting for the future.

Portland Pilots ( 9-23 Last Year )

Portland is horrible. They did not get a good recruit class this year and the Pilots were unable to do much at all in the transfers market either. Look for that to continue for the Pilots here.