ESPN: One mid-major prediction

[BayAreaZag]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7418696/revised-predictions-reasons-watch-college-basketball

West Coast

"Predicted winner: BYU
This battle could go down to the final week of conference action. Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and BYU will all be right there. BYU's Matt Carlino is a major in-season boost for the Cougars, but SMC didn't have much trouble with BYU in the blowout welcome to the league. Gonzaga is the most talented team in the conference, but that doesn't mean it's the best. I'll stick with BYU despite the double-digit loss to Saint Mary's."

Does anyone else like the closing sentence?

[Reborn]

Nice find. I thought it was a good article, but I doubt his prediction about the WCC is good. Gonzaga will prevail. I don't think he has a good idea of how good Gonzaga is, thus I doubt he has done his homework. As I said in another thread, Gonzaga will be conferance champions again. At least that's my prediction. Gonzaga's preconference schedule has prepared the Zags for the conference in ways that neither BYU or St Mary's has prepared them. Gonzaga's pre conference schedule was much tougher than either of those two universities.

[gu03alum]

I wonder if he has even seen Gonzaga play this year. I can understand not putting too much stock into one loss, but BYU got destroyed by a SMC team that lost to Denver. This is a two team race between Gonzaga and SMC and Gonzaga will keep the streak alive.

[kramzag]

Matt Carlino hasn't met Gary Bell Jr....

[BayAreaZag]

I'm not saying this is a two team race (Zags and SMC) but something seems like he is still in the Jimmer era.

[McZag]

Matt C. must have missed Gonzaga's nationally televised wins against SMC less than a year ago - in Moraga and in Vegas for the NCAA bid. Surely he doesn't think that a team that returns virually all of the impact players from last year is going to worry about a Jimmer free BYU and a scrappy but under talented SMC team.

Not to sound cocky because I love the fact that the competition level in the WCC is at an all-time high. But until GU proves that it won't win the WCC, they need to be favored.

Also there is no solid reasoning that the WCC will be a one seed conference this year. My hope is that with the addition of BYU, the WCC will consistently turn into a 2-bid conference year in and year out.

[tobizag]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ege-basketball
West Coast

"Predicted winner: BYU
This battle could go down to the final week of conference action. Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and BYU will all be right there. BYU's Matt Carlino is a major in-season boost for the Cougars, but SMC didn't have much trouble with BYU in the blowout welcome to the league. Gonzaga is the most talented team in the conference, but that doesn't mean it's the best. I'll stick with BYU despite the double-digit loss to Saint Mary's."

Does anyone else like the closing sentence?

translation: based on the available evidence, gonzaga is the favorite. but this is old news, and i need readers, so i reject the available evidence that i myself presented, and will draw a conclusion to my liking regardless of what the facts say.

can't wait to play the cougars and gaels.

[Coach Crazy]

Matt Carlino hasn't met Gary Bell Jr....

Bingo. We haven't had the Gary Bell Jr.-type of defender in a long time. Having a guy that play hard, man-up D on guards super high has helped a lot of our 3-point defense problems from last year.

Matt Carlino, outside of SMC, has been playing garbage patsies, and only has a 5-game spread for a sample size. Plus, he's quite the chucker right now, and has 3.4 TO's a game. Doesn't seem like quite the material that I would be using to base my season predictions.

The thing I am really liking about this Gonzaga team, is the fact that 1. True freshman are stepping up and having game-changing impact 2. We had tremendous depth before Guy, and now it is insane depth, and 3. While we could have played better than we did against MSU and Illinois...having the record we did with the RPI and SOS that we did is really all you can ask for.

We are giving significant minutes to 3 freshman...I don't think most people understand how often that happens and teams struggle, more than win.

[VinnyZag]

Myron Medcalf again. I don't think he stays up late enough to watch WCC games.

[zag67]

I also believe that when GB needs a rest then you have Landry or Carter to come in and hound him. That means that while GB is resting the other dogs are still running him all over the court.

This is by far the best defensive team that I think we have had. And by that I mean TEAM.

[tobizag]

Myron Medcalf again. I don't think he stays up late enough to watch WCC games.

+1

[titopoet]

Actually that has been most of the take of the national media. In a way it make sense, going with GU means you are taking a freshman backcourt. Having two starting freshman and winning a conference and not being named Kentucky is a major feat. If you are looking at the three teams and trying to decide, I think you look at two freshman and think they might falter sometime, and so you take the complete team with experience. (SMC has a weakness in the post play). Now, I think GBJ and Pangos are very good and they will not hit the usual Freshman wall. They continue to get better and better. Few is do one of the best coaching job of his career in getting these two up to speed. Having to integrate Edi in the rotation is also a challenge he is doing masterly. GU will win on the strength of his coaching.

I don't think they or we have fully appreciate the job Few is doing in guiding the young pub backcourt. This maybe his finest coaching year of his career to date.

[Nevtelen]

It seems like the majority of outlets have predicted BYU as conf champs this season. They are legitamately a very good team and their back line will absolutely give us fits (esp Davies). But I do think most of the predictions have more to do with creating controversy and stirring the ### than anything else. This is definitely one of the most interesting WCC seasons in a long time, no question. I think from here on out, the WCC will be a 2 or 3 bid league most years (depending on OOC scheds), which is impressive since we only have 9 teams.

[Coach Crazy]

can't wait to play the cougars and gaels.

Who else is sitting in Section 13 at the BYU game in Provo?

[CaliforniaZaggin']

People are sleeping on the Zags, and I don't understand why.