West Coast Conference unveils 2017-18 men’s basketball slate

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference announced its 2017-18 men's basketball conference schedule on Wednesday ahead of what promises to be another exciting year. The race for the WCC regular season crown will stretch over a nine-week span, consisting of a double round-robin format. Conference play is slated to begin on Thursday, December 28, 2017, and will conclude on February 24, 2018.

A historic 2016-17 season saw Gonzaga advance to its first National Championship game while becoming the first WCC team since San Francisco in 1956-57 to reach a Final Four. The Bulldogs, led by AP National Coach of the Year Mark Few, picked up program win number 1,600 with a 79-73 win over Northwestern in the Round of 32.

WCC Tournament runner-up Saint Mary’s also enjoyed two rounds of Tournament play in its 10th straight year of postseason action. It was the Gaels’ ninth overall NCAA Tournament and sixth under head coach Randy Bennett.
BYU made its 12th consecutive postseason appearance (NIT), while San Francisco qualified for its fourth postseason berth since the 2010-11 season and 25th overall (CBI). 

For the second consecutive year, the WCC landed a pair of teams in a “way too early” Top 25 poll. SI.com tabbed national runner-up Gonzaga at No. 6 and Saint Mary’s at No. 20. Last season, for the first time in WCC history, two teams (Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s) appeared in every Associated Press regular season poll throughout the year.

The 2017-18 West Coast Conference men’s basketball season tips off December 28, 2017, and every team is in action with each squad playing two games per week throughout the course of the season.  Due to the compressed nine-week schedule, no team will have a bye during the WCC regular season. In order to accommodate the compressed schedule, this is the second year of a two-year cycle where the conference schedule will not feature travel partners.

Early schedule highlights once again include Saint Mary’s and BYU, as the two will square off in Provo on December 30. Gonzaga will begin its title defense on December 28 at home against Pacific.

The Saint Mary’s vs. Gonzaga rivalry will pick up once more on January 18 when the two meet in Spokane for a Thursday night showdown. The return game in Moraga is scheduled for February 10.

BYU and Gonzaga play twice in three weeks, with the first meeting on February 3 in Spokane. Last year at the McCarthey Athletic Center, BYU came away with the 79-71 upset win to hand the No. 1 Bulldogs their only regular season loss. Following the rematch, the series will shift to Provo on February 24 for both teams’ regular season finale.

The West Coast Conference will celebrate 10 years in Las Vegas this year when the 2018 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships returns to the Orleans Arena from March 1-6.

Fans can expect an announcement regarding the full slate of WCC telecasts in the coming month. The complete 2017-18 West Coast Conference men's basketball composite schedule can be accessed via the link above but is subject to change.  

2017-18 WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 

Thursday, December 28
Portland at BYU
San Francisco at San Diego
Pacific at Gonzaga
Loyola Marymount at Saint Mary’s
Pepperdine at Santa Clara

Saturday, December 30
Saint Mary’s at BYU
Pepperdine at San Diego
Santa Clara at Gonzaga
San Francisco at Portland
Loyola Marymount at Pacific

Thursday, January 4
BYU at San Francisco
San Diego at Portland
Gonzaga at Pepperdine
Santa Clara at Loyola Marymount
Pacific at Saint Mary’s

Saturday, January 6
BYU at Pacific
San Diego at Saint Mary’s
Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount
Portland at Santa Clara
San Francisco at Pepperdine

Thursday, January 11
Pepperdine at BYU
San Diego at Pacific
Portland at Gonzaga
San Francisco at Loyola Marymount
Saint Mary’s at Santa Clara

Saturday, January 13
BYU at Santa Clara
Loyola Marymount at San Diego
Gonzaga at San Francisco
Pacific at Portland
Saint Mary’s at Pepperdine

Thursday, January 18
Loyola Marymount at BYU
Portland at San Diego
Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga
Pepperdine at Pacific
Santa Clara at San Francisco

Saturday, January 20
San Diego at BYU
Gonzaga at Santa Clara
Portland at Loyola Marymount
Pepperdine at San Francisco
Saint Mary’s at Pacific

Thursday, January 25
BYU at Saint Mary’s
Santa Clara at San Diego
Gonzaga at Portland
Loyola Marymount at Pepperdine
Pacific at San Francisco

Saturday, January 27
Pacific at BYU
San Diego at Loyola Marymount
San Francisco at Gonzaga
Portland at Saint Mary’s
Santa Clara at Pepperdine

Thursday, February 1
BYU at Loyola Marymount
San Diego at Gonzaga
Pepperdine at Portland
Pacific at Santa Clara
San Francisco at Saint Mary’s

Saturday, February 3
BYU at Gonzaga
Saint Mary’s at San Diego
Loyola Marymount at Portland
Pacific at Pepperdine
San Francisco at Santa Clara

Thursday, February 8
Santa Clara at BYU
San Diego at Pepperdine
Gonzaga at Pacific
Portland at San Francisco
Saint Mary’s at Loyola Marymount

Saturday, February 10
San Francisco at BYU
San Diego at Santa Clara
Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s
Portland at Pacific
Pepperdine at Loyola Marymount

Thursday, February 15
BYU at Pepperdine
Pacific at San Diego
Loyola Marymount at Gonzaga
Santa Clara at Portland
Saint Mary’s at San Francisco

Saturday, February 17
BYU at San Diego
Pepperdine at Gonzaga
Saint Mary’s at Portland
Loyola Marymount at San Francisco
Santa Clara at Pacific

Thursday, February 22
BYU at Portland
Gonzaga at San Diego
Loyola Marymount at Santa Clara
Pepperdine at Saint Mary’s
San Francisco at Pacific

Saturday, February 24
Gonzaga at BYU
San Diego at San Francisco
Portland at Pepperdine
Pacific at Loyola Marymount
Santa Clara at Saint Mary’s