Meyer's Mailbag: Judging the WCC

[BroncoZAG615]

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=807452

Who do you think will win the West Coast Conference next season? Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and San Diego all made the NCAA Tournament this past season and return just about everybody. Can the WCC get three bids again, and is this a conference on the rise?

— Wes from Oakland
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The amount of talent and experience returning in the WCC next season is staggering. Saint Mary's returns every player. San Diego returns four of its top five scorers. Gonzaga could bring back as many as six of its top seven scorers if point guard Jeremy Pargo chooses to pull out of the draft.

Still, I don't think we will see three teams from the WCC reach the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Last season, the conference had the perfect storm of sorts with Gonzaga and Saint Mary's locking up at-large bids and San Diego going on a surprising run to the WCC Tournament title.

Gonzaga still has a big edge in talent over the rest of the league. If Pargo stays in school, the Zags could be among the nation's top 15 teams. Without Pargo, they still will be the league favorite. They probably would have to again lose in the league tournament for the WCC to have two teams with a chance to earn at-large bids.

But regardless of who wins the 2009 WCC tourney, I think you will see this mid-major league send two teams to the field of 65. That would be a sign of great progress, considering the WCC has been a one-bid league for so long.

I tend to agree with Meyer when I look at it from an unbiased perspective. Last year was a perfect situation for the WCC. Although all teams are virtually the same as last year I would be surprised to see three get in next year as well. Don't get me wrong, I hope we get three in but depending on the schedules played and the amount that GU, USD, and SMC beat eachother up during the year, I only see two. And besides, I don't think we lose the WCC tourney next year, meaning that SMC and USD better take care of business early on.

[CDC84]

Golden and Smith

St. Mary's doesn't return everyone. They lost Todd Golden and Tron Smith, who averaged 15 points per game between them. It's USD that doesn't lose anyone...unless someone defected that I am not aware of. Here is their 2007/08 roster:

http://usdtoreros.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/usd-m-baskbl-mtt.html

[Rangerzag]

St. Mary's will have very low odds getting a large number of big names back on the court in Moraga this coming season. They will have a dose of the real world coming at them compared to last year and I personally doubt the results will be as positive for them. I wouldn't say it is out of the question for them to do well in OOC, just not likely to turn out as well as last year.

San Diego doesn't loose the level of talent St Mary's is. San Diego was better last year than most casual uninformed fans would know.

Like most all years it will be a combination of strength set up in the OOC schedules and the proof shown if great wins come in good oportunities. Lots of years WCC teams play nationally recognized powers but do not convert with wins. I don't think SD and SM are that far from having consecutive seasons good enough for at-large-bids. Three teams with at-large-bid credentials is way more likely than another perfect storm trifecta triple winner occurring.

[CDC84]

I am very, very curious what the non-league skeds of USD and SMC look like next season.......