Feb. 10, 2011

San Diego sits on top of West Coast Conference poll

Defending champion San Diego is the unanimous No. 1 in the West Coast Conference preseason poll, in voting by the head coaches and released by the conference office.

The Toreros picked up seven first-place votes and 49 points, comfortably ahead of second-place Pepperdine with 39 points. San Francisco had 33 points to come in third, while Portland earned the final first-place vote to take fourth with 32 points. Loyola Marymount was fifth, followed by Gonzaga, Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s.

San Diego went 19-2 in conference play in 2010, winning the title by five games over second-place Portland. The Toreros earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and posted an overall mark of 37-22.

The 2011 season begins on Friday, Feb. 18, with all eight WCC teams in action. Conference play gets underway on Friday, April 15. The regular-season champion advances to the NCAA Tournament.

 
West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Team, Points (First place) (2010 WCC, Overall Records)

1. San Diego, 49 (7) (19-2, 37-22)

2. Pepperdine, 39 (12-9, 24-30)

3. San Francisco, 33 (10-11, 28-28)

4. Portland, 32 (1) (14-7, 34-18)

5. Loyola Marymount, 23 (5-16, 23-33)

6. Gonzaga, 20 (8-13, 20-36)

7. Santa Clara, 16 (8-13, 23-31)

8. Saint Maryʼs, 12 (8-13, 19-32-1)