WCC Unusually Strong So Far

[RenoZag]

Tread lightly. I was excoriated a couple of weeks ago when I even suggested the road game at USF wouldn't be a cakewalk for the Zags. As posters, we walk a narrow path, it would seem.

I had a similar view but I was spared the raspberries from the Statler & Waldorf crowd when I posted:

"WCC road game wins can't be taken for granted and the overall winning streaks against Pepperdine (35), LMU (19), Santa Clara (17) , San Francisco (14), Pacific (13), Portland (10), and USD (8) can't be pencilled in as "W"s. "

[ProVeeZag]

I had a similar view but I was spared the raspberries from the Statler & Waldorf crowd when I posted:

"WCC road game wins can't be taken for granted and the overall winning streaks against Pepperdine (35), LMU (19), Santa Clara (17) , San Francisco (14), Pacific (13), Portland (10), and USD (8) can't be pencilled in as "W"s. "

Reno, I remember your post well. Wishing you great holidays! ProVee

[White lightning]

Tread lightly. I was excoriated a couple of weeks ago when I even suggested the road game at USF wouldn't be a cakewalk for the Zags. We walk a narrow path, it would seem.

I'm fairly new to the forum and know exactly how that feels. I've watched the Zags since the mid 80's and follow them as close as I can. I know many others are more invested in the Zags and I respect that. Sometimes opinions that differ from the norm brings not so appreciative responses and in which brings an actual broader view to most topics. I guess if we all agreed it wouldn't be worth logging in and gleening another perspective on topics. By far this is the best forum I've followed. When people think it's out of control here just go and read other teams forums.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Outraged]

I think we've been drinking the Kool Aide a little too much. Two games stand out to me @USF and at @USD. You have to take in the season mentality as the team gets bored and plays down to the competition which seems to happen during the last third of the season. This always seems to happen. Also, I havn't seen consistent defense yet.

[Bogozags]

I'm fairly new to the forum and know exactly how that feels. I've watched the Zags since the mid 80's and follow them as close as I can. I know many others are more invested in the Zags and I respect that. Sometimes opinions that differ from the norm brings not so appreciative responses and in which brings an actual broader view to most topics. I guess if we all agreed it wouldn't be worth logging in and gleening another perspective on topics. By far this is the best forum I've followed. When people think it's out of control here just go and read other teams forums.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Very well stated!

THANK YOU!

[Martin Centre Mad Man]

The WCC is 7-7 against the PAC12 so far. Not bad.

Make that 10-7 after Santa Clara beat WSU.

[Zagger]

I went with 16-0 for a variety of reasons: Clarke, Tillie, Perkins, Snax, Rui, Kispert, Jones, Filip, Crandall, Ayayi, Foster .... and Beach
And I'm hoping all these reasons are in play by 1/5.

[RenoZag]

San Francisco's 2 point loss to UC Santa Barbara last night takes some of the shine off their OOC season. UCSB now 10 - 3; USF 12 - 2

Current WCC Standings: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...ngs/_/group/29

Current Conference Rankings: https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-ba...rating-by-conf WCC in 8th position (out of 32).

[Martin Centre Mad Man]

San Francisco's 2 point loss to UC Santa Barbara last night takes some of the shine off their OOC season. UCSB now 10 - 3; USF 12 - 2

Current WCC Standings: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...ngs/_/group/29

Current Conference Rankings: https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-ba...rating-by-conf WCC in 8th position (out of 32).

It’s crazy to see the Ivy League and the MAC ranked ahead of the A-10 and the Mountain West.

[MileHigh]

Make that 10-7 after Santa Clara beat WSU.

The Pac 12 this year is probably the worst P6 league ever.

UCLA just lost back to back home games to Belmont and Liberty!

There is a real possibility that they may be a one bid league this march. 2 bids tops.

[GoZags]

The Pac 12 this year is probably the worst P6 league ever.

UCLA just lost back to back home games to Belmont and Liberty!

There is a real possibility that they may be a one bid league this march. 2 bids tops.

Here's KenPom combined WCC/Pac 12 ranking .... it's clear that the Pac is still superior (but it's getting closer).

3. Gonzaga
39. Oregon
43. St. Mary's
44. San Francisco
49. Arizona State
52. Washington
54. Arizona
75. Colorado
79. Oregon State
80. UCLA
82. BYU
90. San Diego
93. USC
112. Stanford
123. Loyola Marymount
142. Utah
162. Pacific
173. WSU
209. California
210. Santa Clara
218. Pepperdine
288. Portland

[DZ]

Cal is even worse than WSU?

One would think that at a school that size they could pick an all-star team from the top intramural league and do better than that.

15-1

We will drop a game on the road somewhere at some point. No shame in that at all, I'd be fantastically proud to get through with only one loss. Prolly be near a one seed, possibly a two.

We're fine, best get those 2 injured back and playing well, sets up perfect IMO

[jwalk]

The Pac 12 this year is probably the worst P6 league ever.

UCLA just lost back to back home games to Belmont and Liberty!

There is a real possibility that they may be a one bid league this march. 2 bids tops.

Ouch!! 2 wins over 500 for the conference.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...e?platform=amp

[Outraged]

Here's KenPom combined WCC/Pac 12 ranking .... it's clear that the Pac is still superior (but it's getting closer).

3. Gonzaga
39. Oregon
43. St. Mary's
44. San Francisco
49. Arizona State
52. Washington
54. Arizona
75. Colorado
79. Oregon State
80. UCLA
82. BYU
90. San Diego
93. USC
112. Stanford
123. Loyola Marymount
142. Utah
162. Pacific
173. WSU
209. California
210. Santa Clara
218. Pepperdine
288. Portland

Santa Clara beat both USC and WSU.

[maynard g krebs]

The Pac 12 this year is probably the worst P6 league ever.

UCLA just lost back to back home games to Belmont and Liberty!

There is a real possibility that they may be a one bid league this march. 2 bids tops.

Interestingly, teamrankings.com has ASU at 77% to make the tourney, and UO, Zona and UW all 54-62%.

[ProVeeZag]

Interestingly, teamrankings.com has ASU at 77% to make the tourney, and UO, Zona and UW all 54-62%.

With the current injuries to Bol Bol (foot) and Kenny Wooten (broken jaw) and no definitive timeline on when each might return to starting lineup, the Ducks chances to make the tourney are very questionable. On the plus side, Oregon begins Pac 12 play with 3 winnable home games against Oregon State, UCLA, and USC, all of whom have had their struggles early. I think the Pac 12 gets 2 NCAA bids, but outside of ASU, that 2nd bid could be a 10 seed or worse.

[LongIslandZagFan]

So... WCC goes into conference play with one team with a losing record. 5 teams with 10 or more wins (none of them are named BYU or St. Mary's) and 3 teams with only 2 losses. This is going to be a very interesting season.

Even though RPI has been mothballed, it does give a bit of perspective. With that WCC is ranked 8th in RPI.

[TexasZagFan]

So... WCC goes into conference play with one team with a losing record. 5 teams with 10 or more wins (none of them are named BYU or St. Mary's) and 3 teams with only 2 losses. This is going to be a very interesting season.

Zags can't lay any eggs on the road, would lead to fans rushing the home court. With the exception of BYU, road venues will not be any tougher than Chapel Hill or Omaha. Against Creighton, they played in the 5th most attended game in Creighton history (18,700). The storm the Zags weathered in the first ten minutes was almost Biblical.

[RenoZag]

John Blanchette addressed the WCC landscape in this article: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/201...-slate-not-li/

After some hard – and maybe even begrudging – self-evaluation over the past few years, some WCC schools have tweaked their approach, tapped consultants, dug deeper to buy more no-return home games, sought out neutral-site opportunities and, in one case, blew up the old scheduling model.

“What you’re trying to do is get winnable games,” said WCC associate commissioner Aaron Woliczko, the league’s basketball wrangler, “and that’s whether you’re a rebuilding program or a top program. You have to have a strategy for it, just as you do with a game, and you have to be honest with yourself.”

Where it got especially honest for the WCC was the realization that the massive gap in the old RPI numbers among members wasn’t doing anyone much good. So last spring, the league lopped two games off the conference round-robin – often as not, taking two low-end teams off the upper-end schedules – to allow better nonconference opportunities.

[ProVeeZag]

John Blanchette addressed the WCC landscape in this article: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/201...-slate-not-li/

Just read Blanchette's column...worth your 5 minutes', as always, Blanchette delivers (although his quip about Gladys Knight and The Pips seemed a bit forced and dated!).

[raise the zag]

I have a feeling USD is going to surprise in WCC. They are just built differently than other teams not named Gonzaga.

They play good defense, long, athletic, and only losses were to formidable opponents. They may not have the depth and shooting prowess to compete with Top-30 schools, albeit close losses, but they seem primed to compete in WCC play.

I could see them challenging for 2nd place with USF.

[jazzdelmar]

I have a feeling USD is going to surprise in WCC. They are just built differently than other teams not named Gonzaga.

They play good defense, long, athletic, and only losses were to formidable opponents. They may not have the depth and shooting prowess to compete with Top-30 schools, albeit close losses, but they seem primed to compete in WCC play.

I could see them challenging for 2nd place with USF.

Good guards and Pineiro is a stud.

[MileHigh]

Good guards and Pineiro is a stud.

yep...their guards are good enough to start for anybody in the Pac 12.

[WallaWallaZag]

Good guards and Pineiro is a stud.

they struggle to score at times, but if they're hitting shots they can play with anyone...i could see them playing out of their minds at the jenny craig and beating the zags.