By CURRAN McCAULEY
The West Coast Conference was in the national spotlight as the second week of college hoops action included a nationally-televised Brigham Young – Long Beach State matchup on Monday Night as part of the Tip-Off Marathon and concluded with Saint Mary’s breezing past Stanford on Sunday night in an ESPNU televised contest from Moraga. Here are five takeaways from the WCC’s second week, as the conference is quickly becoming the favorite of east coasters with insomnia.
1. Saint Mary’s is for real, and Joe Rahon looks like a problem for the rest of the conference- Saint Mary’s pulled off the WCC’s signature win thus far, as the Gaels easily took down Stanford at home in a jam-packed McKeon Pavilion. The first visit for the Cardinal since 1988 was really the Joe Rahon Show as the Boston College transfer scored 24 points, dished out three assists and collected six rebounds. Emmett Naar and Evan Fitzner also pitched in 15 point efforts for SMC. Saint Mary’s is 3-0 and my “wild card” pick of Rahon in the preseason player power rankings is looking more and more like a sure thing after a trio of games.
2. Gonzaga didn’t get distracted by its upcoming trip to the Bahamas – After the bizarre open to the season, a cancelled game in Japan, the Bulldogs returned home for match-ups with Northern Arizona and Mount Saint Mary’s last week. The ‘Zags outscored their opponents by a combined score of 192-108. Domantas Sabonis, Kyle Wiltjer and Silas Melson are each averaging double-digit totals through the first two games. Gonzaga shot 56 percent overall and held opponents to just 15 percent from the three-point line during the double dip. A Caribbean matchup with Washington is slated for Wednesday at 9:00 am PT.
3. Local is good for Pacific – Pacific has adopted the motto “Valley Tough” this year, and with three key contributors from the region, the moniker is apt. The Tigers have three players from Modesto Christian High School on the roster, and each guy has had a huge impact on the team thus far through three games. Despite an 0-3 mark, redshirt sophomore Ray Bowles is averaging 18.3 ppg to go with 9.0 rpg, including his first two career double-doubles this week. Junior T.J. Wallace, a preseason All-WCC selection, is averaging 17.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg while promising freshman forward Anthony Townes has averaged 4.7 ppg and 4.0 rpg.
4. Long Beach State proved BYU is beatable, but no reason to worry in Provo – Long Beach State pulled out a 66-65 win over the Cougars, denying BYU on its final possession late Monday night despite double-double efforts from Corbin Kaufusi and Kyle Collinsworth and a 10-point, nine-board effort for Kyle Davis. The Cougars responded with a blowout win over Adams State, with Davis registering a double-double against the Colorado school. Intriguing games are on the docket at the Marriott Center in the next two week as OVC favorite and perennial NCAA tournament cinderella-pick Belmont (Nov. 28) serves as a prelude to the Holy War of Hoops when a talented Utah squad visits for one of the WCC’s best non-conference tests (Dec. 2).
5. Portland evens its record, head for the shores of Texas – After a blowout loss at the hands of Colorado, Portland got back to the .500 mark, cruising past Abilene Christian 87-57 on Sunday. Alec Wintering scored 17 for the Pilots while Bryce Pressley chipped in 12 points at the Chiles Center. Portland hosts Alcorn State on Tuesday night and then heads for Thanksgiving weekend hoops in Corpus Christi, as MWC stalwart Colorado State awaits in a bellwether game for an important brick of the WCC’s middle-tier (Nov. 27).
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