2020–21 West Coast Conference men's basketball season

2020–21 West Coast Conference men's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportMen's basketball
Number of teams10
Regular season
Season championsGonzaga
  Runners-upBYU
Season MVPCorey Kispert, Gonzaga
Tournament
ChampionsGonzaga
  Runners-upBYU
Finals MVPJalen Suggs, Gonzaga
Basketball seasons
2020–21 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Gonzaga † 15 – 0   1.000 31 – 1   .969
No. 23 BYU 10 – 3   .769 20 – 7   .741
Loyola Marymount 7 – 5   .583 13 – 9   .591
Pepperdine 7 – 6   .538 15 – 12   .556
Pacific 6 – 7   .462 9 – 9   .500
Santa Clara 4 – 5   .444 12 – 8   .600
Saint Mary's 4 – 6   .400 14 – 10   .583
San Francisco 4 – 9   .308 11 – 14   .440
San Diego 2 – 7   .222 3 – 11   .214
Portland 0 – 11   .000 6 – 15   .286
† 2021 WCC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 West Coast Conference men's basketball season began with practices in September 2020 and ended with the 2021 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament in March 2021. This was the 70th season for WCC men's basketball, and the 32nd under its current name of "West Coast Conference". The conference was founded in 1952 as the California Basketball Association, became the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1956, and dropped the word "Athletic" in 1989.

Head coaches

Coaching changes

On March 8, 2020, it was announced that Mike Dunlap would end his tenure as head coach at Loyola Marymount. He spent six seasons as their head coach and posted a record of 81–108.[1] During the 2018–19 season, LMU began the season with eight straight wins and reached the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational.[2] However, in the 2019–20 season their record was 11-21 and they only reached the second round of the WCC tournament.[3] Soon thereafter, on March 20, Loyola Marymount announced that Stan Johnson, the associate head coach at Marquette, would become their new head coach.[4] Johnson played college basketball at Southern Utah University and has coached at various universities in the West and Midwest.[5] On February 5, 2021, the University of Portland announced that Terry Porter had been released as head coach and Ben Johnson had been named as interim head coach until the end of the season.[6]

Coaches

Team Head coach Previous job Years

at school

Overall

record

WCC

record

WCC

Tournament record

NCAA

Tournaments

Sweet

Sixteens

BYU Mark Pope Utah Valley 2 24–8 (.750) 13–3 (.813) 0–1 (.000) 0 0
Gonzaga Mark Few Gonzaga

(asst.)

22 599–124 (.828) 291–31 (.904) 43–5 (.896) 20 9
Loyola Marymount Stan Johnson Marquette (asst.) 1 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0 0
Pacific Damon Stoudamire Memphis Grizzlies (asst.) 5 62–68 (.477) 28–40 (.412) 1–4 (.200) 0 0
Pepperdine Lorenzo Romar Arizona (asst.) 3 32–34 (.485) 14–18 (.438) 4–2 (.667) 7 3
Portland Terry Porter Minnesota Timberwolves (asst.) 5 37–92 (.287) 7–61 (.103) 1–4 (.200) 0 0
Ben Johnson (interim) Portland (asst.) 1 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0 0
Saint Mary's Randy Bennett Saint Louis(asst.) 20 440–182 (.707) 219–92 (.704) 24–16 (.600) 7 1
San Diego Sam Scholl San Diego

(asst.)

3 32–40 (.444) 9–23 (0.281) 3–2 (0.600) 0 0
San Francisco Todd Golden San Francisco (asst.) 2 22–12 (.647) 9–7 (.563) 2–1 (.667) 0 0
Santa Clara Herb Sendek Arizona State 5 64–64 (.500) 32–35 (.478) 2–4 (.333) 8 1

Notes:

  • Year at school includes 2020–21 season.
  • Overall and WCC records are from time at current school and are through the beginning of the 2020–21 season.

Preseason

Preseason poll

2020-21 WCC Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches Poll[7]
Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. Gonzaga (9) 81
2. BYU (1) 69
3. Saint Mary's 63
4. Pepperdine 57
5. San Francisco 52
6. Santa Clara 38
7. Loyola Marymount 33
8. Pacific 31
8. San Diego 16
10. Portland 10

All-WCC Preseason Men's Basketball team

Honor Recipient
Preseason All-WCC Team Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga
Alex Barcello, BYU
Jamaree Bouyea, San Francisco
Kessler Edwards, Pepperdine
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Colbey Ross, Pepperdine
Eli Scott, LMU
Matthias Tass, Saint Mary's
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Josip Vrankic, Santa Clara

Rankings

Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Legend
    Improvement in ranking
  Drop in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
(Italics) Number of first place votes
  Pre/

Wk 1[8]

Wk

2[9]

Wk

3[10]

Wk

4[11]

Wk

5[12]

Wk

6[13]

Wk

7[14]

Wk

8[15]

Wk

9[16]

Wk

10[17]

Wk

11[18]

Wk

12[19]

Wk

13[20]

Wk

14[21]

Wk

15[22]

Wk

16[23]

Wk

17[24]

Post[25]
BYU AP RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 23T --
C RV -- RV RV RV RV RV RV
Gonzaga AP 1 (28) 1 (57) 1 (54) 1 (54) 1 (61) 1 (62) 1 (63) 1 (63) 1 (62) 1 (62) 1 (61) 1 (55) 1 (59) 1 (60) 1 (59) 1 (61) 1 (60) --
C 2 (10) -- 1 (23) 1 (24) 1 (25) 1 (29) 1 (29) 1 (29) 1 (28) 1 (29) 1 (28) 1 (28) 1 (28) 1 (27) 1 (31) 1 (31) 1 (32) 2
Loyola

Marymount

AP
C
Pacific AP
C
Pepperdine AP
C
Portland AP
C
Saint

Mary's

AP
C RV -- RV RV
San

Diego

AP
C
San

Francisco

AP
C
Santa

Clara

AP
C

Regular season

Conference matrix

  BYU Gonzaga Loyola Marymount Pacific Pepperdine Portland Saint Mary's San Diego San Francisco Santa Clara
vs. BYU – 2−0 0−1 0−2 1−1 0−2 0−2 0−0 0−2 0–0
vs. Gonzaga 0−2 – 0−1 0−2 0−2 0−1 0−2 0−2 0−2 0–1
vs. Loyola Marymount 1−0 1−0 – 1−1 0−1 0−1 1−0 0−1 0−2 1−1
vs. Pacific 2–0 2−0 1−1 – 1−0 0−2 1−0 0−1 0−1 0−1
vs. Pepperdine 1−1 2−0 1−0 0−1 – 0−2 1–1 0−1 0−1 1−0
vs. Portland 2−0 1−0 1−0 2−0 2−0 – 0−0 1−0 2−0 0−0
vs. Saint Mary's 2−0 2−0 0−1 0−1 1−1 0−0 – 0−0 0−1 1−0
vs. San Diego 0−0 2−0 1−0 1−0 1−0 0−1 0−0 – 1−0 1−1
vs. San Francisco 2−0 2−0 2−0 1−0 1−0 0−2 1−0 0−1 – 0–1
vs. Santa Clara 0−0 1−0 1−1 1−0 0−1 0−0 0−1 1−1 1−0 –
Total 10−3 15−0 7−5 6−7 7−6 0−11 4−6 2−7 4−9 4−5

Early season tournaments

The following table summarizes the multiple-team events (MTE) or early season tournaments in which teams from the West Coast Conference participated.

Team Tournament Dates Arena Arena Location Record Bracketed Finish TV Partner
BYU Roman Legends Classic[26] December 1–3, 2020 Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, Connecticut 1–1 No N/A ESPN
Gonzaga Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off[27] November 26–27, 2020 Suncoast Credit Union Arena Fort Myers, Florida 2–0 Yes 1st of 4 FOX
Loyola Marymount Minnesota MTE[28] November 28–30, 2020 Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota 0–2 No 2nd of 2 Big Ten Network
Pepperdine San Diego State MTE[29] November 25 & 27, 2020 Viejas Arena San Diego, California 1–1 No 2nd of 4 CBS & Pac-12 Network
Portland U.S. Bank Portland Invitational[30] November 25–29, 2020 Chiles Center Portland, Oregon 2–1 No N/A N/A
Saint Mary's Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic[31] November 25–27, 2020 Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, South Dakota 2–1 Yes 5th of 8 ESPN
San Francisco Bubbleville November 25–29, 2020 Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, Connecticut 2–2 No N/A ESPN
Santa Clara Bronco Invitational[32] November 25–28, 2020 Leavey Center Santa Clara, California 3–0 No 1st of 4 WCC Network

WCC Player/Freshman of the Week

Throughout the year, the West Coast Conference named a player of the week and a freshman of the week as follows:

Week Date Player of the Week Freshman of the Week
1[33] November 30, 2020 Drew Timme (Gonzaga) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
2[34] December 7, 2020 Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga) Leemet Bockler (St. Mary's)
3[35] December 14, 2020 Ahmed Ali (Portland) Caleb Lohner (BYU)
4[36] December 21, 2020 Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
5[37] December 28, 2020 Corey Kispert (Gonzaga) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
6[38] January 4, 2021 Joel Ayayi (Gonzaga) Oumar Ballo (Gonzaga)
7[39] January 11, 2021 Joel Ayayi (Gonzaga) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
8[40] January 18, 2021 Corey Kispert (Gonzaga) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
9[41] January 25, 2021 Kessler Edwards (Pepperdine) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
10[42] February 1, 2021 Drew Timme (Gonzaga) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
11[43] February 8, 2021 Colbey Ross (Pepperdine) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
12[44] February 15, 2021 Drew Timme (Gonzaga) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)
13[45] February 22, 2021 Eli Scott (Loyola Marymount) Caleb Lohner (BYU)
14[46] March 1, 2021 Corey Kispert (Gonzaga) Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga)

National Awards and Teams

All-Americans

Main article: 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The following WCC players were named as national All-Americans as follows:

Player School Associated Press United States Basketball

Writers Association

National Association of

Basketball Coaches

Sporting News Consensus Points
Corey Kispert Gonzaga
1
1
1
1
12
Jalen Suggs Gonzaga
2
2
2
2
8
Drew Timme Gonzaga
2
2
2
2
8

AP Honorable Mention:

  • Joël Ayayi, Gonzaga
  • Alex Barcello, BYU

Other National Awards

The following WCC players were named to national award watch lists and received awards as follows:[47]

Wooden Award - Player of the Year

Preseason Top 50 Midseason Top 25 Late Season Top 20 Top 15 Ballot Wooden 10 All Americans 5 Finalists
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Colbey Ross, Pepperdine Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
Drew Timme, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga

Naismith Award - Player of the Year

Preseason Top 50 Midseason Top 30 10 Semifinalists 4 Finalists
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Colbey Ross, Pepperdine Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Drew Timme, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga

Bob Cousy Award - Point Guard

Preseason Top 20 Midseason Top 10 5 Finalists
Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
Colbey Ross, Pepperdine

Jerry West Award - Shooting Guard

Preseason Top 20 Midseason Top 10 5 Finalists
Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga

Julius Erving Award - Small Forward

Main article: Julius Erving Award
Preseason Top 20 Midseason Top 10 5 Finalists Winner
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga Corey Kispert, Gonzaga

Karl Malone Award - Power Forward

Main article: Karl Malone Award
Preseason Top 20 Midseason Top 10 5 Finalists Winner
Drew Timme, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga Drew Timme, Gonzaga

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award - Center

Preseason Top 20
Matt Haarms, BYU

All-WCC Awards and Teams

On March 2, 2021, the West Coast Conference announced the following awards:[48]

Honor Recipient School
Player of the Year Corey Kispert Gonzaga
Coach of the Year Mark Few Gonzaga
Defensive Player of the Year Matt Haarms BYU
Newcomer of the Year Jalen Suggs Gonzaga
All-WCC First Team Joël Ayayi Gonzaga
Alex Barcello BYU
Jamaree Bouyea San Francisco
Kessler Edwards Pepperdine
Corey Kispert Gonzaga
Colbey Ross Pepperdine
Eli Scott LMU
Jalen Suggs Gonzaga
Drew Timme Gonzaga
Josip Vrankic Santa Clara
All-WCC Second Team Brandon Averette BYU
Matt Haarms BYU
Logan Johnson Saint Mary's
Andrew Nembhard Gonzaga
Khalil Shabazz San Francisco
All-WCC Freshman Team Jalin Anderson LMU
Oumar Ballo Gonzaga
Caleb Lohner BYU
Mitchell Saxen Saint Mary's
Jalen Suggs Gonzaga
WCC Honorable Mention Ahmed Ali Portland
Jeremiah Bailey Pacific
Joey Calcaterra San Diego
Dameane Douglas LMU
Daniss Jenkins Pacific
Keli Leaupepe LMU
Dzmitry Ryuny San Francisco
Jalen Williams Santa Clara

Postseason

West Coast Conference tournament

Main article: 2021 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament

Gonzaga defeated BYU 88–78 in the Championship game to win the tournament on March 9. Mark Few was the winning coach and Jalen Suggs was named the MVP of the tournament.

NCAA tournament

Main article: 2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

BYU and Gonzaga participated in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga earned an automatic bid to the tournament by winning the WCC tournament and was awarded the number one overall seed. BYU was awarded an at-large selection as the 23rd overall seed and the 6-seed in the East Regional. BYU was defeated in the first round by UCLA 72–63 while Gonzaga advanced to the National Championship game eventually losing to the overall champions Baylor 86–70.

National Invitation Tournament (NIT)

Main article: 2021 National Invitation Tournament

Saint Mary's was selected as a 2-seed in a field of 16 teams to participate in the NIT Tournament. Saint Mary's was eliminated in the first round by 3-seed Western Kentucky 69–67.

College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament

Main article: 2021 College Basketball Invitational

Pepperdine was selected as part of the field of 8 teams to participate in the CBI Tournament. Pepperdine won the tournament by defeating Coastal Carolina 84–61 in the Championship game on March 24.

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