WCChoops Enter Final Week

[ZagDad84]

From WCCSports:

WCChoops Enter Final Week
Women's Basketball
2/26/2020 5:01:03 PM

WEST COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL QUICK HITSWEST COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL QUICK HITS

- Gonzaga has has won its fourth-consecutive WCC regular season title, and the Zags have locked up the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WCC Basketball Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. No other seed is set as teams enter Thursday’s penultimate day of competition.
- Gonzaga Head Coach Lisa Fortier has been named a Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year Late Season Candidate, as announced Feb. 19 by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Fortier is one of just 15 coaches in the nation to be nominated for the award.
- Gonzaga moves to No. 11 in the AP and No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches Polls this week in the midst of the best regular season in program history at 27-2, surpassing the previous best start of 16-1 set in the 2018-19 season. The Zags were the first team in the country to hit the 20-win plateau this season.
- The Zags saw its NCAA-leading 21-game winning streak end at Saint Mary’s (Feb. 8), but the Zags still hold the nation’s 6th-longest active home winning streak at 16 consecutive wins in McCarthey Athletic Center.
- Two WCC head coaches crack the Top 12 for career winning percentage among all active Division 1 coaches: Portland’s Michael Meek (5th, .846) and Gonzaga’s Lisa Fortier (12th, .786).
- Gonzaga comes in as a 4-seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology by Charlie Creme (Feb. 25). The Zags are the only non-Power 5 team to earn a coveted 1-4 seed, a distinction that comes with home court advantage in the opening rounds.
- Gonzaga currently ranks 1st in the nation in percent attendance capacity and 14th nationally in overall average attendance. The Zags average 94.87 percent capacity; that’s an average of 5,692 fans that fill the 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center every game. The Zags are the only non-Power 5 team (excluding UConn) to crack the national Top 15 in attendance.
- BYU junior Sara Hamson is is one of 10 women’s college basketball players selected as a semifinalist for the 2020 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year award. She ranks first nationally in total blocked shots with 119 and in blocked shots per game with a 4.58 average.
- BYU junior Sara Hamson is No. 1 on the active Division I blocks per game career list with a 3.83 blocks per game average in her career. She also sits No. 3 on the active Division I total career blocks list at 318. Hamson is the only non-senior to crack the Top 5 of the active career total blocks list.
- The WCC released the All-Academic Team which features 18 student-athletes with at least a 3.50 GPA >> FULL RELEASE
- Portland freshman Alex Fowler was named the WCC Player of the Week >> FULL RELEASE

WCC BASKETBALL WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Thursday, February 27
Pepperdine at BYU - BYUtv - 6pm
LMU at San Diego - WCC Network - 6pm
Santa Clara at Saint Mary’s - WCC Network - 6:30pm
San Francisco at Pacific - WCC Network - 7pm

Saturday, February 29
LMU at BYU - BYUtv - 1pm
#11 Gonzaga at Portland - WCC Network - 2pm
Santa Clara at Pacific - WCC Network - 2pm
Pepperdine at San Diego - WCC Network - 2pm
San Francisco at Saint Mary’s - WCC Network - 2pm

Article Link: https://wccsports.com/news/2020/2/26...inal-week.aspx

ZagDad

[seacatfan]

BYU and USD both in battles down the stretch.

[seacatfan]

BYU and USD both narrowly escape--66-64 for the Cougs and 54-50 for the Toreros.

[seacatfan]

St. Mary's scores in the last 2 seconds to force OT against Santa Clara.

[seacatfan]

SCU gets SMC in OT 94-87.

Pacific lost at home to USF 67-61. What happened to them this year? They looked good in OOC, so perplexing. Fell to 8-9 in conference. Should've been the 2nd best team behind GU.

[CG3Dad]

SCU gets SMC in OT 94-87.

Pacific lost at home to USF 67-61. What happened to them this year? They looked good in OOC, so perplexing. Fell to 8-9 in conference. Should've been the 2nd best team behind GU.

According to their board, at this current time, their big Kakela is no longer on the team. All conference defender Higgins is out with an ankle injury and their other role player Tillman is out with a suspected concussion.


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[seacatfan]

According to their board, at this current time, their big Kakela is no longer on the team. All conference defender Higgins is out with an ankle injury and their other role player Tillman is out with a suspected concussion.


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Higgins has missed the last 2 games. I don't know about Kakala. They've been underachieving the entire conference season. Tryggedsson and Randhawa are decent players too. The talent was there, they should've been much better than this.

[Kemo 1966]

Higgins will not suit up today either. In fact, only one Starter will be in the starting lineup ... and 1 on the bench. In game #7 of the conference, was the last time the best defender, 3 point shooter and solid senior performer (Blakeslee out of Mercer Island, WASH.) was lost for the season! Other unforeseen events have effected the team.... 3 members who roomed off campus, lost all of their possessions do to Apartment burning ... it has been a trying year for the team.
The officiating of certain games, leaves no room for your average basketball team to grow in the right direction. USF's thuggery is well known. When healthy, Pacific beat them by 20+ on their court...with marginally equal calls. At Pacific, Dons mopped the floor with the Tigers, and on one fragrant foul....which should have gone against the Don's.... Davis (Pacific Coach) got "T'd" up.... anyone who knows him, knows he is usually fairly balanced and quiet on the sidelines and try to 'teach' his team as the game progresses. Supposedly this Coach (USF) is a 'elite player' from Stanford days....evidently, she is big on 'bull-dozing" opponents; definitely HANDS ON type of defensive pressure.... makes for a terrible spectator sport for those who must watch! She is not a credit to the WCC, IMO.

I believe Kakala is off the team, why I do not know. She was a work in progress, having sat out a year; and not in shape for the tough grind of WCC competition. I do hope she finds her way forward.

"Val Higgins" has had a tremendous pressure on her since starting for USC as a true frosh. Her off-court world had a decidedly heart wrenching curve... she has coped well so far.... her ankle must be serious, and she isn't a 'weakling'..... not sure she will be close to 100 percent for the tourney?

Gonzaga is the best team in the league by far. There's not too much to 'brag' about after them! I do hope they get to host the regionals, for the loyal fans in Spokane!

[seacatfan]

Thanks for giving some insight on Pacific, Kemo. Sorry it's been such a trying year on and off the court.

[seacatfan]

A couple finals and a couple games going down to the wire.

BYU 57
LMU 42

USF 69
SMC 55

[seacatfan]

So in addition to the GU fans we have a LMU and Pacific fan as regulars. Any consensus on which team in the WCC is the worst in regards to overly aggressive, physical play? I know BYU and SMC both garner complaints, sounds like USF is in the running too.

[seacatfan]

Pacific 71
SCU 69

USD 62
Pepperdine 58


Cougs and Toreros finish tied for 2nd, not sure who gets the tie breaker for all important seeding in Vegas

[Kemo 1966]

Pacific 71
SCU 69

USD 62
Pepperdine 58


Cougs and Toreros finish tied for 2nd, not sure who gets the tie breaker for all important seeding in Vegas

It appears SanDiego gets the nod. They split the regulars season series, and the next test, is the highest team in final standings they beat.

BYU was 0-2 vs Zags, same for San Diego. However Toreros were 2-0 vs Portland; and the pilots split with BYU. I may be wrong...but I think that's what the various scenarios boil down too..

I'll save the query of which is the most "unethical" ....I'll wait until the tourney is over.

@seacat, I enjoy your discussions with ZD on the Power Conferences play and insight. Thanks for promoting this great game (same for ZD.) IMO