Mark Few has been the head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs for 15 seasons now, and every single one of them has ended in the NCAA tournament. Four of those sixteen appearances have even led to Sweet 16 berths. Yet, despite having one of the most consistently successful programs in the NCAA over this time period, Few has never gotten a team beyond the Sweet 16 (Gonzaga did reach the Elite Eight in 1999, but Dan Monson was head coach at the time). It has seemed recently that the Zags are simply a team we can ink into the tournament field, and then pretty much lock in for a loss in one of their first two games once there. That could all change this year.
Kevin Pangos is back to lead the Zags this season. Also returning is Gary Bell, Jr., a great defensive player. Przemek Karnowski is a 7-1 beast down low who averaged double digits in scoring last season. Byron Wesley joins the team after transferring from USC where he averaged 17.8 points per game. Kyle Wiltjer transfers in from Kentucky where he averaged 10.2 points per game in 2013 and was named the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year. Oh, and by the way Mark Few brought in another solid recruiting class headlined by Domantas Sabonis, son of NBA Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis. Sabonis was overlooked by many teams that did not realize he would be eligible to enroll in college this season after playing high school ball in France. To make a long story short, not only may this be Mark Few’s deepest and most talented Gonzaga team yet, but the tools appear to be here to actually make a serious run come March, beyond even the Sweet 16.
Of course, Gonzaga is not the only team in the West Coast Conference. BYU returns a solid squad led by Tyler Haws with legitimate NCAA tournament hopes after securing a 10 seed last season. St. Mary’s could also cause trouble this season as they add several key pieces to last year’s NIT squad. Portland may be the fourth best team, as last season’s other three postseason participants (San Francisco made the NIT; Pacific and San Diego both played in the CIT) may fall back in the standings.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Gonzaga: The Bulldogs are not only the best team in the WCC, but they may prove to be one of the best in the entire country.
2. BYU: Haws and Kyle Collinsworth (who is back from knee surgery) are strong enough to lead the Cougars to a lot of victories and should have them back in the Big Dance.
3. St. Mary’s: Randy Bennett should have this team near the top of the conference standings again with Brad Waldow and Kerry Carter, plus the addition of transfers Joe Coleman (Minnesota), Desmond Simmons (Washington) and Aaron Bright (Stanford). If the chips fall right, the Gaels could be in the at-large discussion as well.
4. Portland: The combination of Kevin Bailey in the backcourt and Thomas van der Mars in the front will make the Pilots a dangerous team, though they probably lack the depth to compete with the top three teams.
5. San Diego: Johnny Dee and Duda Sanadze give the Toreros a potent backcourt, but there are question marks down low.
6. San Francisco: Rex Walters has strong forwards with Kruize Perkins and Mark Tollefsen, but the Dons lost their top two scorers and may take a step back this season.
7. Santa Clara: The Broncos should be fun to watch with the combination of Brandon Clark and Jared Brownridge, but there just do not appear to be enough other pieces here to contend.
8. Pepperdine: The Waves need to find the players to help out Stacy Davis. Freshman Shawn Olden could be one such answer.
9. Loyola Marymount: Mike Dunlap takes over head coaching duties and needs to begin rebuilding the Lions. Evan Payton should star for LMU at least, and he is only a sophomore.
10. Pacific: The Tigers look like they will fall pretty far this season. Last year’s CIT semifinalists lose their entire starting lineup and could face a long season.