WCC basketball race could be intriguing; BYU jumps to No. 31 in NET rankings

FILE: Brigham Young Cougars guard TJ Haws (30) celebrates another 3-point shot as BYU and Portland State play at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. BYU won 85-66. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Gonzaga maintained its No. 1 national ranking but had to rally to beat Portland and Pepperdine. Saint Mary’s, meanwhile, fell in quadruple overtime at Pacific. BYU shined defensively in a 63-38 victory over Loyola Marymount in its WCC opener. 

PROVO — If the opening week of West Coast Conference play is any indication, this league race could be intriguing as the conference might be deeper than ever this season.

Gonzaga (16-1, 2-0) maintained its No. 1 national ranking Monday but had to rally to beat Portland on the road and Pepperdine at home over the weekend. Saint Mary’s (14-3, 1-1), meanwhile, fell in quadruple overtime at Pacific (14-4, 2-0).

BYU (12-4, 1-0) shined defensively in a 63-38 victory over Loyola Marymount in its WCC opener at the Marriott Center.

The Cougars and Gaels clash Thursday (9 p.m., MST, ESPN2) in Moraga, California. BYU has a 1-7 record against Saint Mary’s at University Credit Union Pavilion (formerly McKeon Pavilion) since joining the WCC in 2012.

In other games Thursday, Gonzaga visits San Diego and Santa Clara travels to San Francisco.

Here’s where WCC teams are rated in the latest NCAA NET rankings — Gonzaga (No. 7), BYU (No. 31), Saint Mary’s (No. 39), Santa Clara (No. 77), San Francisco (No. 122), Pacific (No. 126), Pepperdine (No. 164), San Diego (No. 204), Loyola Marymount (No. 228) and Portland (No. 231).

In its nonconference schedule, BYU lost to the teams ranked No. 1 (San Diego State) and No. 2 (Kansas) in the NET.

In the most recent NCAA Tournament projections by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi — posted last week — Gonzaga is a No. 1 seed, Saint Mary’s is a No. 7 seed and BYU is a No. 11 seed.

The Bracket Matrix, which tracks NCAA Tournament projections, has the Cougars in 52 of 54 brackets.

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