WCC Weekly Wrap: Gonzaga Falls, San Francisco Surprises

The college basketball season is a couple of weeks in and we can now judge teams for what they are becoming. No more training camps, no more possible outcomes for teams, just results.

The West Coast Conference has not had a marquee win as of yet. In fact, the best win any WCC team has is a 76-71 Saint Mary's victory over St. John's.

Here are some big games coming up that any WCC fans should watch:

Tonight: Gonzaga at No. 3 Kansas State

Tuesday 11/23: Portland at Washington State

Friday 11/26: Saint Mary's vs. Texas Tech (South Padre Island Invitational)

Friday 11/26: Santa Clara at Arizona

Saturday 11/27: Saint Mary's vs. TBD (SPI Final/Consolation)

Let's take a look at the happenings of the first couple of weeks and where teams stand at this point.

Saint Mary's (4-0)

The Gaels have battled injuries in the early part of the season.

Most notable is sophomore Matthew Dellavedova. He has been hampered by a hamstring injury but has played in all four of the Gaels' games in limited capacity. The guard averaged more than 36 mpg last season but is just over 25 mpg this season.

Tim Harris, who was coming off an injury red-shirt last season, is injured again.

The efficient offense that was the trademark of their Sweet 16 run is still there. They are 14th in the nation in assists per game.

Interior offense has been a problem. There is no consistent scorer in the paint for the Gaels.

Tim Williams has played better than expected. He leads the team in rebounding with nine per game.

Portland (4-1)

After losing four starters to graduation, many believed Portland was in for a rebuilding year, but head coach Eric Reveno has his team off to a fast start.

Seniors Luke Sikma and Jared Stohl have been carrying the load to this point.

Stohl is averaging 15 points per game while shooting 51 percent from three-point range. Sikma's production has mirrored his career at Portland. With his increased minutes, he leads the WCC in rebounding with 13.8 per game.

He is also collecting 9.2 points, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

With the starting point guard position in question before the season, someone needed to step up. Junior guard Eric Waterford has provided that production.

Through five games, Waterford has averaged 9.6 points and three assists in only 21 minutes of work.

Santa Clara (3-1)

The Broncos have played three of their first four games at home and have won all three. Their one loss was an 86-73 loss to USC at the Galen Center.

The biggest question for Santa Clara coming into the season was how quickly could Kevin Foster return to form. That question was answered with an emphatic "immediately."

Foster, who was injured only seven games into last season, returned with 19 points against Cal State Bakersfield. He has averaged 18.7 points since returning from his injury.

Marc Trasolini leads the team in rebounding with 8.7 rebounds to go along with 13.3 points.

Gonzaga (2-1)

Two cupcakes and a Mountain West Conference contender. Tell me which is Gonzaga's one loss?

The Bulldogs have a loaded schedule and it kicked them right in the teeth on the first try. San Diego State walked into the MacCarthy Center and shot lights out against the Gonzaga defense.

Elias Harris had one of his worst games but has been bothered by a nagging shoulder injury. He scored five points on 1-4 shooting.

Forward Kelly Olynyk has yet to find a rhythm defensively and at times looked lost against the Aztecs.

Steven Gray has been the Bulldogs' leader to this point. He is averaging 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

San Francisco (2-1)

The Dons are another early surprise. This is not to say that 2-1 is overly impressive but for San Francisco to be off to a good start is comforting to those on the Hilltop.

They have put together a balanced attack on offense with four players averaging double figures in points. Leading that charge is Angelo Caloiaro with 17.7 points, nine rebounds and 1.7 steals.

Caloiaro is shooting 53.3 percent from downtown.

Sophomore Michael Williams has been producing nearly as much as the senior Caloiaro. Williams gets 15 points and six rebounds per contest.

Senior Moustapha Diarra has provided an interior presence with two blocks per game.

Loyola Marymount (2-3)

The Lions were picked to finish second in the WCC but are 0-3 against NCAA Division-I opponents.

In those games, LMU has not shot above 41 percent from the field. This makes it all the more impressive when you consider they have lost all three contests by a combined 14 points.

Turnovers have come in bunches. In the first two D-I games, the Lions racked up 19 and 24 turnovers respectively.

Senior Vernon Teel has gotten off to a very slow start. Teel, a WCC First Team selection last season, is shooting 37 percent from the field while committing five turnovers per game.

Freshman Godwin Okonji has produced as expected with 6.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks off the bench for Max Good's team.

Pepperdine (1-3)

Pepperdine has three losses by a combined 14 points. No, this is not a repeat of LMU's description but they have had similar fortunes.

But for the Waves, turnovers are the single biggest difference in their games. Pepperdine committed 18 turnovers in their 79-69 loss at UCLA. The Waves gave the ball up 19 times in a two-point loss to Portland State.

Behind Mychel Thompson's 34 points, the Waves defeated Nevada 76-75. Turnovers: Eight.

Senior guard Keion Bell is averaging 22 points in the early part of the season.

San Diego (1-3)

As expected, the Toreros have found it difficult to score in November. They are averaging 63 points per game and their only win was against Division-III Occidental College.

Bradley transfer Darian Norris leads the team in scoring with 13 per game.