West Coast Conference Notebook
by Brad Best
Conference Play Begins
It feels as if there is a little Jekyll and Hyde going on in the West Coast Conference. Maybe a couple of these teams had us fooled with their non-conference performance. Most notably, what happened to San Diego? The Toreros rattled off an impressive 10-3 start only to lose their first two conference games. Albeit they were both on the road, but Pepperdine hasn’t looked good all season and Loyola Marymount was just 3-11 going into that game. Speaking of Loyola Marymount, they’ve switched places with San Diego and with their 3-0 conference start are tied with Gonzaga atop the WCC.
Gonzaga (13-3, 3-0 Conf.)
Preseason ranking: 1
Conference Play: So far, so good for the Bulldogs. They have won comfortably over St. Mary’s, Santa Clara and Pepperdine.
Surprise Factor: Mild surprise that J.P. Batista is averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds per game, up from 12 points and 6 rebounds last season, while Derek Raivio’s numbers haven’t gone up at all.
Comment: They help sell out the home courts of their conference opponents when they come to town. The added pressure of being Goliath to the rest of the Davids in the league will help prepare them for the Big Dance.
Loyola Marymount (6-11, 3-0 Conf.)
Preseason ranking: 4
Conference Play: Hard to explain their undefeated start in conference play other than to say they weren’t as bad as their record indicated. They’re sure to be taken seriously by their conference foes now.
Surprise Factor: From worst in non-conference to tied for first in conference with their great start. It will really be surprising if they knock off Gonzaga in their next game.
Comment: With Matthew Knight on the inside and Wes Wardrop on the outside, they have a nice combo attack.
Santa Clara (8-6, 1-1 Conf.)
Preseason ranking: 5
Conference Play: With a win over Portland and a hard-fought loss against Gonzaga, the Broncos will be competitive this year. Next up is a tough match-up against a hungry San Diego team.
Surprise Factor: Kudos for winning the Cable Car Classic. Now let’s see what they can do in the rest of their conference games.
Comment: Big man John Bryant must stay out of foul trouble and become a defensive stopper so Travis Niesen can focus his energy on the offensive end.
San Francisco (5-10, 1-1 Conf.)
Preseason ranking: 6
Conference Play: Win over Pepperdine and a double overtime loss to Loyola Marymount suggest that the Dons will not be an easy out.
Surprise Factor: Newcomer Guard Armondo Surratt leads the team in both scoring and assists.
Comments: Need to do a better job of finding ways to win the close ones.
Portland (7-10, 1-2 Conf)
Preseason ranking: 3
Conference Play: Getting blown out at home by Loyola Marymount in their most recent game doesn’t bode well.
Surprise Factor: Why is this team so inconsistent? Usually good guard play translates into wins and guard Pooh Jeter is the leader of this team.
Comments: Maybe they’ll get their confidence back against Pepperdine.
Pepperdine (5-10, 1-2 Conf.)
Preseason ranking: 8
Conference Play: Haven’t been impressive yet and things don’t look optimistic this year.
Surprise Factor: Held off San Diego to walk away with a one point victory.
Comment: Will be interesting to see how they rebound from a 29 point defeat at the hands of Gonzaga.
San Diego (10-5, 0-2 Conf)
Preseason ranking: 7
Conference Play: Have played down to the level of their competition so far, and it has resulted in two loses on the road.
Surprise: The Toreros were favored to win and should have won their two opening games in the WCC.
Comment: Rough start to conference play already and they’re hosting Gonzaga on Saturday.
Saint Mary’s (7-7, 0-2 Conf.)
Preseason ranking: 2
Conference Play: With a loss to Gonzaga and then a double overtime loss to Portland, the 0-2 record isn’t quite as bad as it looks.
Surprise Factor: Everyone expected a much better start. Did they simply lose too much talent and experience from last year’s squad?
Comment: Two winnable road games are up next so look for the Gaels to post their first conference win this week.
