so I ask, did anybody believe the west coast conference regular season would end up any different than it has? Seriously, and I’m not talking about whether anyone “HOPED” it would be different, I don’t know how anyone could have anticipated it to go any differently.
There were really no upsets, unless you call some of BYU’s losses upsets. The truth is the Cougars have followed a similar pattern almost every year they have been in the wcc. The only difference this year is that they stunk against the cream of the conference, Gonzaga and St. Mary’s. I almost cringe as I sit here typing that. What Coach Few said at the beginning of the season, how the rest of the conference needed to step up and work harder to compete (because he didn’t think it was okay for Gonzaga to carry it along with St. Mary’s) and basically challenged the rest to do so. He threw a bone to Rose and the Cougars because they have beaten the Zags at home and make it appear like they are competitive occasionally, but it was somewhat hollow in my opinion.
Gonzaga is having a great season and props to St. Mary’s for staying ranked in the top 25 but let’s be real here for a minute. Neither one of these teams is going anywhere in the ncaa tournament, mainly because they weren’t challenged in the wcc and are not really battle tested at this point. My prediction is St. Mary’s might make it past the first round but then they are gone. Gonzaga might make it past the second round and in spite of being a #1 seed, they will not make the sweet 16.
I recently heard Steve Cleveland go on a rant about how there are too many BYU fans that don’t appreciate what they have in the WCC. They complain about the high school gyms and say we were better off in the MWC with the great rivalries we had with UNLV and San Diego State. Look at where UNLV and San Diego State are today! He applauded the attitude of Gonzaga. They typically find success without lottery pick talent. Yes, they get a lottery pick talent now and again (Sabonis). But, their type of guys typically stick around for four years, learn the system and learn to play as a team. Cleveland thinks BYU fans need to stop complaining and embrace the positive aspects of the WCC. There is no reason that BYU can’t thrive in this league and play basketball at a very high level.
As for me, I have a tough time staying off the BYU bandwagon. BYU showed a spark of confidence at Portland and I’m hoping they can build off of that game. They showed me that they can play glimpses of good ball against Portland. Can they bring that same level of confidence and intensity against Gonzaga? We’ll see tomorrow.
I don’t care about the “high school” gyms (I just saw USF polish off Pepperdine at the Waves h.s. gym in a yawner) or the fact that BYU doesn’t play SDSU, Wyoming, Utah or UNLV as a rival anymore. This begs the question, who is BYU’s rival after 6 years in the wcc? I’m not complaining as a “BYU fan”, but moreso as a basketball fan. I watch other conferences play games and they are exciting and competitive, teams that are not so good compete with the better teams and there are upsets occasionally.
What is the average margin of victory for Gonzaga in league play this season? Take a guess… 28+ points/game and that includes 10 pt. wins vs. St. Mary’s and BYU. What about St. Mary’s? 19+ pts./game… thrilling. Several of BYU’s games have been blowout wins and a few have been really bad losses. It just hasn’t been that exciting or fun to watch… sorry.
If it has been exhilarating and mind blowing basketball for the rest of you then okay, but I just haven’t enjoyed the competition level or the general style of play in the wcc. It is relatively boring and predictable. Do I want the nba all star game? Absolutely not, but it would be nice to watch a game that appears to be D-1 college level competitiveness.
