Good Ol' Valentine's Day Hatred

#5/#3 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Saint Mary's Gaels

McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California.

Gonzaga is 23-2 on the season, 10-0 in WCC play and currently on a six game winning streak.

Saint Mary's is 21-4 on the season, 10-1 in WCC play and currently on a nine game winning streak.

TV: ESPN2 and ESPN Australia.

Radio: KGA 1510 AM in the greater Spokane area, KMAS 1030 AM in the Puget Sound area, KALE 930 AM in the Lower Columbia Basin and 1490 AM in the Walla Walla area.

Online: Live video from WatchESPN, Live audio from KGA.

Here we go again. Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary's for first place in the West Coast Conference. I'm not sure these two teams can play each other anymore without first place being on the line.

This year Gonzaga has risen to elite status, garnered talk of runs to the final four or beyond in the NCAA tournament, earned a top five ranking in both major polls, been called "Mark Few's best team ever" and so on and so on. Despite that it's still entirely possible that the Zags don't win the WCC regular season title outright. This year Saint Mary's got off to a rough start, lost a few games they really shouldn't have, won a couple they came within a second of losing and have had a seat reserved for them on the bubble since December. That said, they're still within 40 minutes of sitting alone atop the West Coast Conference.

It hasn't been a long lived rivalry. Over the past 10 years the Zags hold a 19-6 advantage over the Gaels in head to head match ups. Over the past five that advantage dwindles to just 8-4. Over the past eight games though, each team has won four. They've alternated victory and defeat for the past five. They've met in the past four WCC Tournament Finals.

That's the history. What about the now?

Happy Valentine's Day

Stop reading this right now and go tell someone you care about that you care about them.

Did you do that? Don't lie to your computer screen. Did you? Okay, now that we've gotten the holiday out of the way let's get right into the WCC action for today.

7:00 PM PST

Loyola Marymount Lions at Pepperdine Waves

Firestone Fieldhouse, Malibu, California.

LMU is 8-15 on the season, 1-10 in WCC play and currently on an eight game losing streak.

Pepperdine is 11-13 on the season, 3-8 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.

Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM in the Los Angeles area.

Online: Live video from WCC Digital and live audio from KXLU.

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Portland Pilots at San Francisco Dons

War Memorial Gymnasium, San Francisco, California.

Portland is 9-17 on the season, 2-9 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

San Francisco is 11-13 on the season, 4-7 in WCC play and currently on a two game winning streak.

Radio: KPDQ 800 AM in the Portland area.

Online: Live video from WCC Digital and live audio from KPDQ.

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San Diego Toreros at Santa Clara Broncos

Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.

San Diego is 13-13 on the season, 6-5 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

Santa Clara is 17-8 on the season, 5-5 in WCC play and currently on a two game losing streak.

Radio: KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area and XX 1090 AM in San Diego.

Online: Live video from WCC Digital, live audio from KDOW and 1090 AM.

8:00 PM PST

#5/#3 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Saint Mary's Gaels

McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California.

Gonzaga is 23-2 on the season, 10-0 in WCC play and currently on a six game winning streak.

Saint Mary's is 21-4 on the season, 10-1 in WCC play and currently on a nine game winning streak.

TV: ESPN2 and ESPN Australia.

Radio: KGA 1510 AM in the greater Spokane area, KMAS 1030 AM in the Puget Sound area, KALE 930 AM in the Lower Columbia Basin and 1490 AM in the Walla Walla area.

Online: Live video from WatchESPN, Live audio from KGA.

Best Offense in the Land?

The Gonzaga Bulldogs moved into the top five of both major college basketball polls yesterday. They're fifth in the AP and third in the Coaches. In both polls the Zags received at least one first place vote. While they're not yet being recognized as the top team in the land by enough to earn them the top spot in either poll, they may well be the top team in the land. The top offense in the land anyways.

From the start of the season when the Zags put up 103 points on Southern Utah it was clear that this team was going to be one of the better offensive units in the nation. After that, the Zags would put up triple digits once more, score in the 90s twice, the 80s seven times and less than the 70s only six times. Points per game isn't a very important statistic when it comes to determining quality, but in this era of record low scoring, it's worth noting at the very least.

The Zags' offensive skill was shown not just through their penchant for high scoring output, but also through their ability to put up all those points from pretty much anywhere on the court.

From the time the Zags signed Przemek Karnowski they've been included in the discussion of "which team has the best front court in the nation?" That discussion pretty much evaporated in December when Kelly Olynyk's emergence made it as close as possible to being a fact that the Zags have the best front court. Through their first 14 games, all their games before Jan 1, Karnowski, Olynyk, Dower or Harris led the team in scoring ten times. Overall one those four have led the team in 20 of the 25 contests. Lately however, the Zags have been showing that they can beat teams from outside, too.

WCC Thursday 2/7

7:00 PM PST

Loyola Marymount Lions at Portland Pilots

Chiles Center, Portland, Oregon.

Loyola Marymount is 8-14 on the season, 1-8 in WCC play and currently on a six game losing streak.

Portland is 8-16 on the season, 1-8 in WCC play and currently on a six game losing streak.

TV: Comcast SportsNet Northwest and Bay Area.

Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM in L.A. and KPDQ 800 AM in Portland.

Online: Live audio from KXLU and KPDQ.

Brigham Young Cougars at San Diego Toreros

Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego, California.

BYU is 18-6 on the season, 8-2 in WCC play and currently on a three game winning streak.

San Diego is 12-12 on the season, 5-4 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.

TV: BYUtv.

Radio: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front and 1090 AM in San Diego.

Satellite Radio: BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.

Online: Live video from BYUtv Sports. Live audio from KSL and The Mighty 1090.

8:00 PM PST

Saint Mary's Gaels at Santa Clara Broncos

Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.

Saint Mary's is 19-4 on the season, 8-1 in WCC play and currently on a seven game winning streak.

Santa Clara is 17-7 on the season, 5-4 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

TV: ESPN2 and ESPN Pacific Rim.

Radio: KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.

Online: Live video from ESPN3, live audio from KDOW.

Pepperdine Waves at #6 Gonzaga Bulldogs

McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington.

Pepperdine is 10-12 on the season, 2-7 in WCC play and currently on a three game losing streak.

Gonzaga is 21-2 on the season, 8-0 in WCC play and currently on a four game winning streak.

TV: ROOT Sports Northwest and Rocky Mountain and Comcast SportsNet California.

Radio: KGA 1510 AM in the Inland Northwest.

Online: Live audio from KGA.

A Better Than Regular Monday

7:00 PM PST

San Diego Toreros at Loyola Marymount Lions

Gersten Pavilion, Los Angeles, California.

San Diego is 11-12 on the season, 4-4 in WCC play and currently on a four game losing streak.

Loyola Marymount is 8-12 on the season, 1-7 in WCC play and currently on a five game losing streak.

TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and ROOT Sports Northwest and Rocky Mountain.

Radio: KXLU 88.9 FM in Los Angeles and 1090 AM in San Diego.

Online: Live audio from KXLU and The Mighty 1090.

Both LMU and San Diego's last memory of a basketball game was a loss to Gonzaga. LMU was crushed by 45 points on Thursday and San Diego lost by only two on Saturday. 

This will be game two of four during a week span for the Toreros, who will face Brigham Young on Thursday then Saint Mary's on Saturday. The Toreros put up a good fight against the #6 (then #7) Zags on Saturday so this will be a nice break from high level competition, despite the fact that they're playing an odd Monday game, before returning to facing the top dogs of the WCC later this week. 

Loyola Marymount has been struggling pretty much all year. The Toreros had been struggling for the last few weeks. For the Lions this was, until seeing the near upset on Saturday, circled as the game that could help turn their season around. Unfortunately, the Toreros seem to have learned to apply the style of play they used to beat the lower level WCC teams (like LMU) earlier this season to the high level teams. That does not bode well for the Lions.

As always, this WCC game will feature two great guards. Both of these great guards are under six feet tall. Christopher Anderson for the Toreros is 5'7'' and Anthony Ireland for the Lions is 5'10''.

WCC Saturday 2/2

WCC Game of the Week

2:30 PM PST

San Francisco Dons at Pepperdine Waves

Firestone Fieldhouse, Malibu, California.

San Francisco is 9-13 on the season, 2-7 in WCC play and is currently on a two game losing streak.

Pepperdine is 10-11 on the season, 2-6 in WCC play and currently on a two game losing streak.

TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet. Delayed until 9:00 PM PST on ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain and Northwest.

Radio: 95.7 FM in the Bay Area

Online: Live video from Pepperdine Sports.

Pepperdine and San Francisco are coming off of close defeats at the hands of BYU and Saint Mary's respectively. Both teams played very well in those games and managed to, especially Pepperdine, put a major scare in their much more powerful foe.

In this game the chance for a major upset is gone but not the opportunity to play very well. San Francisco has the highest three point percentage of any WCC team. Not only can they score from deep but they like doing so. San Francisco is second in the WCC, by a slight margin to Santa Clara, in percentage of total points coming from long range. 33.78% of the Dons' points come from deep. That long range savvy will come in handy against a Waves team that likes to run a slow and methodical offense. 

Pepperdine has the least possessions per forty minutes of any WCC team with 64.4. Against a Dons team that struggles mightily to defend, their slow pace and reliance on the two point shot should normally allow them to control the game and grind out a win. However, as I said earlier, the Dons can light it up from deep. If the Dons get going from downtown they will be able to burst past Pepperdine's slow,  two by two buildup of points.

Hey, there are two great guards playing in this game. It's a WCC game after all. Cody Doolin and Lorne Jackson are the experienced core of their young teams, and they're really good at basketball.

Game Day Info 1/31

It's the last day of January, can you believe it? Just one month sits between our present selves and our March madness selves.

7:00 PM PST

Brigham Young Cougars at Pepperdine Waves

Firestone Fieldhouse, Malibu, California.

BYU is 16-6 on the season, 6-2 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.

Pepperdine is 10-10 on the season, 2-5 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet and ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain and Northwest.

Radio: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front.

Satellite Radio: BYU Radio Sirius XM 143

Online: Live video from WCC Digital; live audio from KSL.

Portland Pilots at Santa Clara Broncos

Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.

Portland is 8-14 on the season, 1-6 in WCC play and on a four game losing streak.

Santa Clara is 16-6 on the season, 4-3 in WCC play and on a four game winning streak.

TV: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and Northwest.

Radio: KPDQ 800 AM in Portland, KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.

Online: Live audio from KDOW and KPDQ.

Two games at once, which do you choose? Each game features a team that is in contention for the WCC title and one that is far from contention. Each features a team that needs to do nothing but keep winning for the rest of the season and a team that wants to win a few more times this season. Each features a team that is exceptional on offense and a team that isn't. 

To that last point, the Portland at Santa Clara game features a team that is exceptional on offense and a team that is horrible on offense. The BYU at Pepperdine game features on team that is exceptional on offense and one that is okay on the offensive end. So, if you want to see a game with more scoring from both sides, that's the one to watch. If you want to see a potential blow out, it's Portland at Santa Clara. 

Tune into either game, or both, and you'll be watching a team with very legitimate hopes of making the NCAA Tournament. That's what makes this hard choice easier to make.

8:00 PM PST

#7 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Loyola Marymount Lions

Gersten Pavilion, Los Angeles, California.

Gonzaga is 19-2 on the season, 6-0 in WCC play and currently on a two game winning streak.

Loyola Marymount is 8-11 on the season, 1-6 in WCC play and currently on a four game losing streak.

TV: ESPN2

Radio: KGA 1510 AM in the Inland Northwest, KXLU 88.9 FM in Los Angeles.

Online: Live video from ESPN3, live audio from KGA and KXLU.

Here is another match up like the two that precede it. One team that is very good at offense and one that is not. Gonzaga is second in the nation in field goal percentage at 51.1%, Creighton leads at 52.1%. Loyola Marymount is pretty bad at defense on top of struggling on offense. The Lions rank 217th in the nation in opponent field goal percentage and 7th in the WCC. It's possible that the Zags jump into first in the nation in field goal percentage after tonight. 

As is almost always the case when a WCC team plays a WCC team we will have two great floor generals go at it in this one. Anthony Ireland is one of my favorite players to watch. He's 5'10'' but pulls down 5.2 rebounds per game, good for 13th in the WCC. At 19.6 points per game he ranks 18th in the nation and second in the conference. It will be interesting to see if he can keep that pace with Gary Bell Jr. guarding him. The WCC's leading scorer, Tyler Haws of BYU, wasn't able to score from the field with that match up last week. 

Game Info 1/30

7:00 PM PST:

Saint Mary's Gaels at San Francisco Dons

War Memorial Gymnasium, San Francisco, California.

Saint Mary's is 17-4 on the season, 6-1 in WCC play and currently on a five game winning streak.

San Francisco is 9-12 on the season, 2-6 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

TV: CSN California.

Online: Live audio from San Francisco Athletics.

The Gaels and Dons wrap up this year's two game series tonight at War Memorial. Last time the Dons played the Gaels they put quite a scare in the defending champions but ultimately came up short with a six point loss. War Memorial is a place where the big dogs in the conference go to suffer defeats. Okay, mostly just Gonzaga suffers that fate. Though BYU and Saint Mary's have come very close to defeat. 

The Dons are hard to figure out this year. They have a talented and deep roster but it's a young and inexperienced roster. They're four games under .500 but they're number 148 in the RPI. They've played very well against some of the top teams in the WCC, though they've come up short each time, or they've looked absolutely hapless against them. They've had streaks of five games on both the winning and losing side. I see them to be the only team not in the top four in the standings with the ability to beat a team in the top four. Tonight, based on how they played against the Gaels earlier this season in Moraga, may be their best chance to pull that off.

Saint Mary's is far superior talent and team wise to San Francisco but, as we learn each March when a David beats a Goliath thanks to a fortunate match-up, the Dons have the right personell to take down the Gaels. Guards Cody Doolin and De'End Parker have the ability to slash inside to create a mismatch with the Gaels' bigs. Cole Dickerson is .2 rebounds per game short of averaging a double-double and despite his lack of size (6'7'') he's a tough big man who could exploit a soft Gaels front court.

That said, none of that should be enough to warrant a Dons' victory. Saint Mary's is better in nearly every statistical category. They have better and more experienced players. I mean, they've even got an Olympian. They're one of the best offenses in the country. Not only are they efficient but they're high scoring. Put a well oiled offense up against a rather horrid defense and the offense should have no problem coasting to victory.

Well, "should have no problem" is why they play the game and it's why the Dons were able to put a big scare into the Gaels earlier this month. Another big scare tonight would be bigger than big it would be bubble-bursting big. If the Dons manage to pull of this upset the Gaels' at-large hopes would suffer a brutal blow. San Francisco has a bright future, a year or two from now. Saint Mary's does as well but they have an equally luminous present. If these teams are playing with the intent of making the conference look as good as possible Saint Mary's will win comfortably, but not after experiencing a few of San Francisco's freshmen have a break out game, and stay on track to earn an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. But they aren't and that's why this is going to be a really entertaining game.

Oh yeah and it's yet another WCC game featuring two exceptional floor generals.

Win Total Forecast

As of today the average number of conference games played by WCC teams is 7.111. Is that number important? Not as far as I can tell. It's just a good time to take a look at how things were at this nearly mid-point last season and compare them with the season we're going through right now.

20 win teams:

Last season, for the first time ever, five WCC teams had 20+ win seasons. At this point in the season that didn't look too probable. How does this season compare?

(Through seven conference games)

Contenders and Pretenders

WCC Game of the Week

January 26th, 2013

Santa Clara Broncos 64 @ San Diego Toreros 50

This is what the WCC Game of the Week should be like every week, important.

Santa Clara came into this game at 15-6 on the season but with a disappointing 3-3 record in conference play. San Diego was 11-10 but sat at fourth in the standings with a 4-2 record in the WCC. The Broncos had one of the WCC's most impressive non-conference seasons. Honestly they probably had the most impressive season not counting the Zags'. San Diego was picked to finish fifth in the standings by the coaches in the preseason poll (one point ahead of Santa Clara). They did absolutely nothing to warrant that early praise with their non-conference play. The Toreros 7-8 record at the end of that portion of the season was tied for worst in the WCC with Portland. However, Portland played a much, much, much tougher slate of games.

Just look at this.