Something to see in the WCC

The Field of 68 was in Las Vegas for a double-media day for both the WCC and Mountain West. And it’s a good thing, too.

Let's see why.

1. A rare sight for the West Coast Conference

Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s is one of the best rivalries in all of college basketball. The Bulldogs and Gaels are the cream of the WCC crop. Even though the Zags regular win the conference, Saint Mary’s is the program that pushes them.

They spilt the 2022-23 regular season series and shared the regular season title, though the Bulldogs got the last laugh in the WCC Tournament championship.

That sets up this season, when the Zags — for once — aren’t seen as the team to beat.

If that seems like an odd sight, you’re not alone. It’s just the second time since 2001 that the Zags haven’t been picked to win the league. The coaches, to their credit, went bold.

In just about all the other preseason rankings, Gonzaga was picked ahead of Saint Mary’s. In fact, The Almanac has them separated by 11 spots the Top 25 ranking, and settled on the Zags in the conference.

Both teams lost talent: Gonzaga’s now without All-American center Drew Timme, while WCC Defensive POY Logan Johnson is no longer in Moraga. It seems that the Gaels have just enough back to win over the league coaches.

Ultimately, it’s likely going to come down to the head-to-head battles between these two this season. Yet while Gonzaga coach Mark Few said that the preseason rankings are “the biggest waste of time”, don’t be surprised if he uses it as motivation for the new underdogs of the WCC.

Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman were on hand for interviews and insight, so you can find complete coverage in this video.

Other key takeaways:

• LMU HC Stan Johnson says that Gonzaga transfer Dominick Harris may be their most talented player.

• New WCC commissioner Stu Jackson admits that the league is “vulnerable” with just nine teams.

• Few says that Wyoming transfer Graham Ike should be ready to go for the season.

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2. Can anyone derail San Diego State in the MWC?

In the other West Coast ranking release, the shine hasn’t worn off San Diego State’s magical 2022-23 season. The Aztecs are the pick to win the league again, per the preseason media poll.

Coming off the team’s (and conference’s!) first-ever appearance in the national title game, San Diego State has plenty of optimism entering this season. This is shared by The Almanac, and most preseason previews.

It’s certainly deserved, given the talent on Brian Dutcher’s squad. A couple of players also got recognition. Final Four hero guard Lamont Butler was named to the preseason All-Mountain West team, while USC transfer Reese Waters was picked as Newcomer of the Year.

Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman (before they hit the blackjack tables) spoke to Dutcher about repeating. And he didn’t mince words.

Yet the Aztecs aren’t the only team with quality guard play in the Mountain West. New Mexico, picked to finish third, got both starters (Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House) on the All-MWC team, while Isaiah Stevens, the star guard of Colorado State, was named Preseason Player of the Year.

San Diego State is used to being the biggest target in the Mountain West but after what happened in March, look for them to get everyone’s best. But this conference should be in the mix for multiple NCAA Tournament bids, whether that’s from the Lobos and Rams, or Boise State (picked to finish second in the league) and Nevada.

3. Tanner Holden all clear for Wright State

The season starts in less than 30 days, and we’re still awaiting NCAA waiver decisions on several key players.

Thankfully for Wright State, the wait on Tanner Holden is now over.

Holden spent his first three seasons at Wright State. He averaged a career-high 20.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg on 50% shooting in his junior season, earning All-Horizon League honors. He transferred to Ohio State, where he largely fell out of the main rotation.

Assuming his production returns, Wright State’s chances of competing for a title just went up.

The Raiders went 18-15 (10-10) last season but return its top three players, led by Trey Calvin (20.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg). The starting frontcourt duo of AJ Braun and Brandon Noel are back and guards Andrew Welage and Alex Huibregtse are two of the top shooters in the conference.

Wright State was viewed as a top-half team in the Horizon League before this news; Holden may have single-handily turned them into the favorites. We still have to see how Holden re-meshes with this group but he’s proven that he’s one of the best players in this conference before, he certainly can do it again.

4. New additions get the nod in the Big 12

We’ll have to wait until Friday for the Big 12 preseason rankings to come out, but we did get preseason honors on Thursday.

Hunter Dickinson has been in the headlines all summer as both a top-tier transfer pickup for Kansas. The hype was warranted as he’s now both the Preseason Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Year. He’s one of two newcomers in the league to make the first-team cut, joining ex-Oral Roberts star and new Texas guard Max Abmas.

Ja’Kobe Walter was named the Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, one of two incoming 5-star prospects (Omaha Biliew of Iowa State is the other). He was one of three Baylor players to get listed overall, joining Rayj Dennis and Jalen Bridges.

Texas led all teams with four, including a trio of honorable mentions (Dylan Disu, Tyrese Hunter, and Dillon Mitchell). Another note is that among the four new teams joining the Big 12, just one player, L.J. Cryer of Houston, got listed. It might be an indication of where voters may have BYU, Cincy, and UCF placed in Friday’s preseason team poll.

5. TCU lands 4-star forward Malick Diallo

It’s been a nice past 24 hours for TCU coach Jamie Dixon. On Wednesday, the team landed 3-star guard Ashton Robinson. Then Thursday brought another recruit for the Horned Frogs.

A 6-10 big man from Mali, Diallo is a 4-star prospect in the 2024 class who plays his high school ball in the state of Utah. He was a prime target for BYU, along with Loyola-Chicago, Cal, and Vandy. In the end, TCU was able to land the developing big man who projects to be a solid rim-protector.

The Frogs have three bigs who can play center on the 2023-24 roster. Yet there’s a chance that all three could be gone after this season. Xavier Cork will exhaust his eligibility, while Essam Mostafa could leave after his 4th year in college. Meanwhile, Kansas transfer and former 5-star prospect Ernest Udeh Jr. could be a breakout-turn-into-pro candidate.

No matter what happens, TCU’s frontcourt will be in good shape no matter what happens after this season and the 2024 class continues to build nicely.

You’ll be reading about many other teams doing the same this weekend. A host of players are set to choose a program. Here’s a rundown:

*Rankings via 247sportsComposite

No. 73 Chase McCarty (Friday)
The 4-star small forward has seemingly a wide-open recruitment (even I can’t get a read on his decision) and has big names such as Houston and Kansas in the mix. But up-and-coming programs such as Georgia Tech and Missouri could make another big splash.

No. 55 Trent Perry (Friday)
Perry is a 4-star point guard prospect from California, where most of his six finalists reside. Stanford, USC, and Colorado have been teams linked to him the most.

No. 13 Liam McNeeley (Sunday)
The 5-star wing is down to just two options: Kansas and Indiana. That’s the same situation another star prospect was in this offseason, with Mackenzie Mgbako picking the Hoosiers. Can Mike Woodson get another recruiting win over Bill Self or can the Jayhawks even it up?

No. 35 Jase Richardson (Sunday)
With all due respect to the Cincinnati Bearcats, the 4-star combo guard will pick either Alabama or Michigan State. The Crimson Tide have been linked to 5-star targets Zoom Diallo and Boogie Fland. The unknown with that could be what Tom Izzo needs to land this legacy target.

No. 259 Mitchell Holmes (Friday)
There’s some variation with Holmes’ rankings, with other services having him ranked as a 4-star target, a reflection of the power forward’s late recent rise. He’s down to five options, with Auburn, TCU, Providence, Rice, and SMU.

Shake it off

Purdue’s outstanding regular season ended with a thud in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. (Surely you heard about it.) What does Matt Painter’s team do to recover from that? Having Zach Edey will help. Rob Dauster, John Fanta and Terrence Oglesby dive into everything about Purdue.

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Links as you debate how many players should be on a preseason 1st team list.

• Siena added guard Jojo Moore to its 2024 class, while Marshall picked up Will Moore.

• West Virginia grad transfer Jose Perez is set to visit Ole Miss this weekend.

• Indiana State and coach Josh Schertz agree to a contract extension through 2027-28.

• In its first year in Conference USA, Liberty was picked to finish 1st in the preseason poll.

• Fordham will host UMBC in a charity exhibition on October 29.

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