It was a status-quo week for the West Coast Conference. *Pushes last week's scores off the table, into garbage.* Nothing to see here!
Alright, it was status quo except for Thursday, when Loyola Marymount came into Provo and simply out-played the Cougars. Here is how that game shapes the conference race, the upcoming week, power rankings, and more in this week's edition of the West Coast Walkthrough.
LIONS DON'T LET UP, STUN BYU
On Thursday, Loyola Marymount got up early, never let off the gas, and handed BYU a rare home loss, firing the first shot into the top tier of the WCC. Anthony Ireland was too much for the Cougars, and has deservedly been named the WCC Player of the Week. He scored a career high of 27 points to help the Lions dice up BYU's defense.
It was an impressive night for Ireland. Not only did he score 27 points, but it was about as efficiently done as possible. I can't calculate PER, but I would imagine scoring 27 points on just nine field goal attempts (7-9) and dropping in 12-14 free throws would net you an extremely high rating. In addition, Ireland dished five assists and had five steals.
It was a perfect storm, as at the same time BYU couldn't stop Ireland, it couldn't find the net. A team that was near the top-10 nationally in three-point percentage went 2-25 from deep.
ZAGS, GAELS CONTINUE TO HOLD SERVE
Gonzaga and Saint Mary's did what was expected. GU dispatched of San Francisco and San Diego by an average of 14 points each, while SMC handled Pepperdine and Santa Clara by an average of 15 points each.
If you didn't see Saturday's late offering with the Gaels in Santa Clara, you missed a good one. Santa Clara kept pace as much as it could, but Matthew Dellavedova was on again, going 11-20 from the field for 26 points while adding seven assists. Meanwhile, Rob Jones scored 14 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, while Brad Waldow also added 14 points and 16 rebounds of his own. Jones and Waldow's 31 rebounds were keeping pace with SCU's team rebounding total much of the night (the Broncos ended with 38 total rebounds).
Gonzaga finally got the big-man duo of Elias Harris and Robert Sacre working together. The two scored 14 each in the win over USF. Then against San Diego, Sacre had 18 points with 11 boards, while Harris posted 15 points and 13 rebounds.
NOW PLAYING
This week's WCC Monday special is Loyola Marymount at Santa Clara. The Lions continue to keep pace as possible conference spoiler, while SCU is 0-5 in conference play and could desperately use a win.
BYU takes a mid-week conference break to travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech on Wednesday (ESPN3 at 5:00 pm MT). Gonzaga plays just once this week, a Thursday night game on ESPN2, while Saint Mary's leaves the friendly confines of home for Loyola Marymount and BYU this week.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Saint Mary's @ BYU - Sat. Jan. 28, 7:00 pm MT - ESPNU -- You better believe BYU wants revenge. It should be a packed house in the Marriott Center, and not only does BYU want revenge, the loss to Loyola Marymount means the Cougars probably need it too.
POWER RANKINGS
1. SAINT MARY'S -- Nothing's changed for the Gaels, who have been solid behind Dellavedova and the big men. SMC continues its road trip this week. After torching BYU and Gonzaga at home, road games at LMU and BYU will test the mettle of Randy Bennett's group.
2. GONZAGA -- The Bulldogs have held serve and are biding time until they can try to get back at Saint Mary's and get first shots at BYU.
3. BYU -- With head-to-head being equal, the Cougars hold the three spot in a slim margin over LMU with a better overall record and a few more conference wins. The Cougars need help from the bench, and hope Stephen Rogers can play to alleviate the bench and shooting woes.
4. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT -- The Lions have been impressive. After battling Gonzaga and stealing one at BYU, the Lions have a chance this week to show Saint Mary's something. If they do, the Lions would be the hottest team in the conference.
5. SAN FRANCISCO -- It's the slightest of edges at the 5-spot. The Dons have yet to play San Diego, and squeaked by Portland with a 1-point win. That one point moves USF up to #5.
6. SAN DIEGO -- The Toreros easily claim #6. With a better overall record and a win in the only head-to-head meeting with Portland, San Diego is here for now, and has a chance to climb the ladder with matches against Pepperdine and San Francisco this week.
7. PORTLAND -- Portland is on a four-game skid, including two losses to San Francisco. Drawing Gonzaga and LMU this week, things aren't looking good for the Pilots.
9. PEPPERDINE -- Yes, skipping 8 and going straight to tied for 9th is Pepperdine. The Waves have lost seven straight, making their lone conference win in the opener against USF almost fantasy. They haven't even been competitive in any of the losses. Will the first matchup against San Diego get the Waves back in the W column?
9. SANTA CLARA -- I would move the Broncos ahead of Pepperdine despite being winless in conference, because at least SCU has shown some fight. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Regardless, despite falling to St Mary's at home by 16, the game was much closer throughout. Perhaps the Broncos can parlay that into some wins soon.
STANDINGS AND STAT LEADERS
|
School |
Conf |
Overall |
RPI (+/-) |
|
#21 Saint Mary’s |
8-0 |
19-2 |
31 (-8) |
|
Gonzaga |
6-1 |
16-3 |
16 (-8) |
|
|
6-2 |
17-5 |
58 (-16) |
|
Loyola Marymount |
4-2 |
11-8 |
114 (+27) |
|
|
3-5 |
13-9 |
162 (0) |
|
|
2-5 |
7-12 |
222 (-44) |
|
|
2-5 |
5-15 |
228 (+17) |
|
|
1-7 |
7-12 |
225 (+18) |
|
|
0-5 |
8-10 |
229 (-5) |
|
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
PTS |
|
Kevin Foster |
|
17.8 |
|
Noah Hartsock |
BYU |
17.5 |
|
Matthew Dellavedova |
St Mary’s |
15.8 |
|
Anthony Ireland |
|
15.4 |
|
Johnny Dee |
|
14.7 |
|
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
REB |
|
Rob Jones |
St Mary’s |
10.7 |
|
Pepperdine |
8.5 |
|
|
Brandon Davies |
BYU |
8.1 |
|
Elias Harris |
|
7.9 |
|
|
7.6 |
|
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
ASTS |
|
Matthew Dellavedova |
St Mary’s |
6.5 |
|
Evan Roquemore |
|
5.3 |
|
Anthony Ireland |
LMU |
5.2 |
|
|
4.5 |
|
|
Pepperdine |
3.7 |
|
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
BLKS |
|
Noah Hartsock |
BYU |
1.6 |
|
Robert Sacre |
Gonzaga |
1.5 |
|
Brandon Davies |
BYU |
1.3 |
|
Corbin Moore |
Pepperdine |
1.3 |
|
Dennis Kramer |
|
1.2 |
|
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
STLS |
|
|
2.0 |
|
|
Rob Jones |
St Mary’s |
1.9 |
|
San Fran |
1.8 |
|
|
Chris Anderson |
|
1.7 |
|
Anthony Ireland |
|
1.7 |
|
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
FG% |
|
|
58.3 |
|
|
Gonzaga |
55.6 |
|
|
Niyi Harrison |
|
54.8 |
|
Perris Blackwell |
San Fran |
53.6 |
|
Thomas Van Der Mars |
|
53.6 |
|
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
FT% |
|
|
90.0 |
|
|
LMU |
88.9 |
|
|
Kevin Pangos |
Gonzaga |
84.4 |
|
Matthew Dellavedova |
St Mary’s |
84.1 |
|
Tim Douglas |
|
83.1 |
|
PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
3PT% |
|
|
43.8 |
|
|
Brock Zylstra |
|
43.0 |
|
St. Mary’s |
42.5 |
|
|
Gonzaga |
41.9 |
|
|
|
40.2 |