Gonzaga trying to address deficiencies as West Coast Conference schedule arrives
In the span of one month, Gonzaga went from a projected No. 2 seed and likely opening the NCAA Tournament at the Spokane Arena to its current standing in ESPN’s bracketology as a No. 9 seed with a first-round game in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Zags’ 35/1 national title odds on Dec. 1 are now 60/1. After debuting at No. 31 in the NET rankings in early December, they’ve dropped to 57, thanks to a recent 2-3 stretch.
The first two months haven’t gone the way No. 24 Gonzaga wanted with one big nonconference game remaining against No. 6 Kentucky in Lexington on Feb. 10. In the meantime, the Zags will try to return to their familiar position atop the West Coast Conference, but that’s not a given, even though fellow WCC teams have suffered more downs than ups so far.
“Obviously, it’s been difficult and we’ve been all over the place and we’ve played a lot of different teams, some at the top of the heap and some not at the top of the heap,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of the nonconference slate. “Like all our nonconference (schedules), it helps toughen us up. The critical thing is you can’t let it mess with your confidence, so we’ll see.”
Gonzaga has shown vulnerabilities – turnover spells, 3-point shooting and defensive issues – against top teams on its nonconference schedule. Those haven’t gone unnoticed by conference foes, led by preseason favorite Saint Mary’s and San Francisco, which carries the WCC’s highest NET rating at No. 39.
The Zags (9-4) tip off conference play Thursday against Pepperdine at the Arena before returning to the Kennel to entertain San Diego on Saturday. Here’s a look around the WCC.
Conference contenders
Gonzaga wasn’t the only WCC school to stumble at times. Saint Mary’s, which edged GU by one point for first place in the WCC preseason coaches poll, had a wild ride in November and December.
The Gaels, who were No. 23 in the Associated Press preseason poll, handed Colorado State and New Mexico their only losses. The road win over CSU, No. 16 in the NET, is the WCC’s lone Quad 1 victory.
Saint Mary’s (9-6) also dropped five of six in a three-week span. All five losses were to top 100 NET teams, including a 25-point loss to San Diego State in Las Vegas. The Gaels scored 60 points or less in four of those setbacks. The Gaels, who visit San Diego on Thursday, have rebounded with wins in six of their past seven.
Saint Mary’s remains stingy on defense, limiting foes to 58.5 points. The Gaels haven’t been as efficient as usual on offense, connecting on just 29.2% of 3-pointers.
Sophomore guard Aidan Mahaney, one of the preseason favorites for WCC Player of the Year, has had strong games (25 points vs. New Mexico and 22 vs. Utah) and averages a team-leading 12.7 points, but he’s shooting just 35.9% from the field, 29.7% on 3-pointers.
In the past six games, Mahaney is averaging 8.5 points and hit just 23.9% of his field-goal attempts. He’s 11 of 53 (20.8%) on 3s in the past eight contests.
San Francisco (11-4) appears to be a legitimate contender. The Dons didn’t have anyone on the 10-player preseason All-WCC team, but that would probably change if votes were cast this week.
Jonathan Mongo, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward, is the Dons’ version of versatile Zags forward Anton Watson. The Missouri State transfer averages 13.7 points and leads the WCC in rebounding (10.1) and steals (29). He’s tied for sixth nationally at 66.7% from the field. He has six double-doubles, one with 14 rebounds and 10 assists vs. Vanderbilt.
Guard Marcus Williams, who played at Wyoming and Texas A&M before joining USF, averages 14.3 points, nearly doubling his scoring average from last year, and hits 57% of his attempts inside the arc.
Chasing WCC Tournament byes
Santa Clara (9-6) and Loyola Marymount (7-7), who clash Thursday at LMU’s Gersten Pavilion, pace the next tier of contenders. Both are capable of earning the double bye afforded the top two seeds at the WCC Tournament or the single bye given to the third and fourth seeds.
Santa Clara has wins over the Pac-12’s Washington State, Stanford and Oregon. It has a WCC-best four Quad 2 wins (GU is next at 2-0). The Broncos pace the WCC in 3-point shooting at 37.8%, but they managed just 58 points in an eight-point home loss Saturday to Yale, which lost by 15 to GU in the season opener.
Santa Clara has some size with 7-foot sophomore center Christoph Tilly, 6-foot-6 grad student Carlos Marshall Jr. and transfers Adama-Alpha Bal (a 6-foot-7 play-making wing from Arizona), Tyeree Bryan (6-foot-5, 205-pound guard from Charleston Southern) and Johnny O’Neil (6-foot-10 forward from American).
Former Gonzaga guard Dominick Harris is off to a strong start at LMU and recently moved into the starting lineup. He had 28 points against UNLV and 31 points with seven 3s against Central Arkansas. He’s the Lions’ top scorer (14.5) and best 3-point shooter (39 3s, 44.3%).
The roster includes three seniors, one redshirt senior, one fifth-year player and two grad students. The Lions have dropped four of their past six games.
Best of the rest
Portland (6-9), under former Eastern Washington coach Shantay Legans, won its first three games but just three since, one over Division III Willamette. Former Eagle Tyler Robertson leads the Pilots in scoring (16.3) and assists (3.9).
San Diego, picked last, has been the biggest surprise with a 10-5 record, including two wins against non-DI competition. The Toreros haven’t played the toughest schedule – just one Quad 1 foe and one Quad 2 – but they’re 9-1 at home and 5-1 in games decided by five points or less.
The Toreros scored 61 points in the second half to knock off Arizona State 89-84. USD’s first three WCC games: home vs. Saint Mary’s, at Gonzaga and home vs. San Francisco.
Pepperdine (7-8) has the top two scorers in the league in junior college transfer Michael Ayayi (17.3) and junior guard Houston Mallette (16.7) and recently welcomed back sophomore forward Jevon Porter from injury. The 6-foot-11 Porter averaged 12.1 points and 7.2 boards last year.
Pacific (6-9) has dropped its past six vs. D-I foes.