There are several other WCC games through the weekend but against very low tier D1 teams (MissValley St. at USF) or vs. non-D1 squads.
Some may question whether Kent St. and Tarleton St. qualify as ‘of interest’ but both of those teams have winning records and aren’t terrible while both SMC and LMU have underperformed in non-con and could really use the wins to turn the tide and get some positive momentum heading in to WCC play.
The SDSU-Gonzaga game could end up being a classic. I think they matchup well against each other, it should be fun to watch.
Lavin has the Toreros playing fairly well. The big stain on the resume thus far is the loss to UCSD.
I’m not expecting LMU to have much difficulty with Tarleton St., but these are college students, we don’t know where kids’ minds are during the holidays.
So far, Kent St-SMC is a typical Moraga barnburner…I can’t type that with a straight face. Currently, the game is on track to have a total of ~100 points. 12-11 Gaels halfway through first half.
The inconsistent Gaels put on their Dr. Jekyll face this time and won. The Zags lost in Spokane and are now staring at the possibility of missing the tournament if they miss more than maybe 2 WCC games and fail to get the autobid. Nervous time in Spokane. The WCC is down as a whole, but the gap between the Zags and USF/SCU may be at its thinnest in a decade and Gonzaga can’t much afford to lose to either at this point, let alone drop a game to a squad like LMU (who lost to a not-good Tarleton State team tonight).
Zags won’t go undefeated in WCC play, that’s for sure, but they seem like a lock to win the WCC, snag an at large bid if needed, and advance to another sweet 16.
On the whole, the caliber of D1 NCAA hoops seems to be on the slide. A host of mediocrity amongst the proverbial best teams should make for a fun March and lots of unexpected outcomes. Hopefully SCU can find a way to be a part of that story.
And USD lost a close one to Fresno St. Not a great night for the WCC. Our game tomorrow is the last chance for a decent WCC win before league play starts.
Note, GU does play Kentucky in mid-February…so one more chance for a signature win.
To Patty’s point on GU…it’s a bad time for a down WCC for GU. Even if they win the league, with the relative mediocrity of the opponents and no other legit Top 40 teams, it makes it difficult for GU to build a resume in league play. I still think their name alone gets them in the tourney if they go ~14-2 or 13-3 in league play, and advance to the WCC tourney title game but no guarantees. Will make for a little more suspense in the WCC tourney.
And right now, the WCC is looking like a one bid league for the first time in awhile.
And re: LMU, our first WCC opponent next Thursday…they are a bit of a mess right now. Two of their starters missed their game today with injuries/illness incl starting Pt Guard Justice Hill who will supposedly be out a couple of weeks so I assume he’ll miss the game vs. us next week. They’ve also shuffled their starting lineup at several spots.
And Leaupepe has really struggled, all of his stats are down this year and scoring/shooting is way down.
Zags at #24, SMC not receiving a single vote, BYU no longer in WCC, we go 5-18 preseason vs Mountain West; as previously stated it’s a very down year for the WCC
Herb’s first season was his best until a couple years ago and did it by playing only 7 players. Would not be surprised if he does that with Bryan and Caffaro off the bench and ride with BK at point the rest of the season. Even with the struggles this is our best chance to make the show in a long time with the WCC tournament coming down to our ability to “upset” Zags or other in the final. It can be done
Yep.
Re: the MWC…it is looking strong and probably better than some expected. The top half may be as strong or stronger than the Pac-12. Six teams in the top 75 NET (same as PAC-12): Colo St., SDSU, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah St., Boise St. But point taken…5-18 against MWC isn’t great especially since several of the L’s are against lower half teams (SJSU, UNLV, Fresno St.).
We’ll see on the 7 man rotation…I suspect Tongue and Ensminger will continue to get minutes, though maybe uneven from game to game.
No upsets in the WCC tonight but a couple closer than expected games.
USF had to go to overtime to beat a really bad Pacific squad.
USD hung w/ SMC…down 5 at half, 10ish towards the end.
Agree on USD.
There is some talent there but they are incredibly young, 4 frosh amongst their top 8 rotation guys. It will be interesting to see if they can bounce back against other mid/low WCC teams starting w/ Pepp Saturday.
Current NET rankings.
What was once unthinkable is now very much a possibility, if Zags lose 2/3 more league games (which i predict they do) and do not win league tournament, their NCAA chances are average at best.
SMC just took care of USF, 77-60. That puts the Broncos in 2nd place a half game ahead of GU and USF. What appears to be a significant separation between the upper 4 and lower 5 is forming…the lower 5 are all below .500.
SMC now the only unbeaten team left, though I don’t see them sailing through league play unscathed as they still have to play GU twice.
The Broncos only play Pepp next Thurs., with a bye on Saturday.
The only WCC game with any intrigue next week is USF @ GU on Thurs. SMC has home games vs. Pacific and LMU, so they’re likely to stay undefeated at least through next week.