WCC Announces 2020 Men’s Basketball Conference Slate

2020 WCC Hoops Schedule

SAN BRUNO, Calif. -- The West Coast Conference announced its 2020 men's basketball conference schedule on Tuesday ahead of what promises to be another exciting year. The race for the WCC regular season crown will stretch over a nine-week span, featuring 16 conference games. Conference play is slated to begin on Thursday, January 2, 2020 and will conclude on Saturday, February 29.

Five WCC teams concluded the 2018-19 season with a top-100 ranking in the ESPN BPI poll, headlined by defending regular season and 2019 NCAA Elite Eight participant Gonzaga (No. 2), Saint Mary’s (38), San Francisco (62), San Diego (87) and BYU (94). The Zags (33-4) led the nation in adjusted offense according to KenPom.com (124.5), while the Gaels (23rd/114.7) also cracked the top-25 in offensive efficiency.

After making a nearly unprecedented five consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, including the program’s third Elite Eight showing since 2015, the Bulldogs are, once again, generating significant buzz in multiple publications. Two years removed from concluding the 2017-18 regular season in the top-25, Saint Mary’s also prominently appears in the national rankings conversation. BYU and Pepperdine are trending as potential postseason teams to watch.

In the way-too-early 2019-20 ESPN poll, Gonzaga checked in at No. 6 while the 2019 WCC Tournament Champion Gaels are No. 21. The Zags (No. 11) and Saint Mary’s (24) appear in the latest CBS Sports Top-25 and One and check in at No. 11 and No. 16 respectively on the NBC Sports poll.

All told, four WCC programs earned postseason berths in 2018-19. The Gaels and Zags gave the WCC multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament field for the sixth time in the last eight seasons. In addition, San Diego qualified for the NIT Postseason for the first time in program history and LMU advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2019 CBI Tournament.

This marks year two of the modified WCC men's basketball schedule. The 16-game schedule is the result of changes adopted by the WCC Presidents' Council as part of the Conference's Men's Basketball Enhancement Plan .

These schedule initiatives demonstrate the league-wide commitment by West Coast Conference Presidents and Athletic Directors to adopt an innovative approach to advance men's basketball on the national stage.

Early schedule highlights include Saint Mary’s at San Francisco January 2, while Pepperdine visits Gonzaga January 4. 

BYU and Gonzaga square off for the first time January 18 in Spokane in a Saturday showdown. The return game in Provo is scheduled for February 22.

Gonzaga and Saint Mary's play twice in four weeks, with the first meeting on February 8 in Moraga. The series shifts to Spokane on February 29 for the regular season finale for both teams.

The West Coast Conference will celebrate its 12th year in Las Vegas when the 2020 West Coast Conference Basketball Tournaments return to the Orleans Arena from March 5-10.

Fans can expect an announcement regarding the full slate of WCC broadcasts in the coming weeks. The complete 2020 West Coast Conference men's basketball composite schedule can be accessed via the link above, but is subject to change.

About West Coast Conference Basketball
Last season, the West Coast Conference once again enjoyed national exposure featuring two NCAA Tournament programs -- Gonzaga University and Saint Mary's College.

Gonzaga's remarkable streak of 21 consecutive NCAA postseason berths provides an exclamation point for a conference with a long and storied history of basketball prominence.

Consider the following:
Since 2010, West Coast Conference programs have produced...
1 -- AP Coach of the Year
1 -- NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner
1 -- Final Four
3 -- Elite Eight Appearances
5 -- Sweet-16 berths
10 -- WCC programs to compete in at least one Postseason Tournament
11 -- NBA Championships won by WCC alums
12 -- Academic All-Americans
17 -- AP All-Americans
21 -- NCAA Tournament Wins
64 -- Overall Postseason Victories

About the West Coast Conference 
The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate athletics, with 15 conference-sponsored sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's beach volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball. The WCC is characterized by the stability of its membership and its unique emphasis on combining excellence in athletics with excellence in academics. For more information, visit WCCsports.com or follow the West Coast Conference on Twitter @WCCsports.