West Coast, Wide Open

Every WCC season since 1979-80 came with Gonzaga in the room. The Bulldogs collected the trophies, set the standard and made a January game feel national. That ended when Gonzaga joined the Pac-12 in July. Then Randy Bennett left Saint Mary's for Arizona State after 25 seasons, removing the architect of the league's steadiest counterweight. The WCC opens this season without the team that ruled it and without the coach best known for pushing back. The winner will inherit the trophy and have to build its own authority from scratch. Saint Mary's gets the first line on our ballot. Mickey McConnell offers continuity, and Joshua Dent offers control. Dent averaged 13.2 points and 5.6 assists while making 91.8 percent of his free throws. He knows how to put the Gaels into the right possession. McConnell must replace Paulius Murauskas' 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, Mikey Lewis' 13.9 points and Andrew McKeever's 9.2 rebounds. Mantas Juzenas made 15 of 31 threes in limited duty and scored 24 on the Australian tour, while Vangelis Zougris averaged 13.8 points and 5.0 rebounds on that trip. Jeremy Dent-Smith could add another experienced guard beside Dent, but his availability hinges on the pending 5-for-5 eligibility ruling. Saint Mary's has enough structure to begin in front, with little room for a slow start from its new frontcourt. Seattle can challenge from the other end of the floor. Will Heimbrodt blocked a school-record 90 shots last season, third most in the country, and won WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Jun Seok Yeo gives him a mobile partner who can score, and Tyler Boston arrives from Holy Cross after averaging 14.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Boston has to steady an offense that lost Brayden Maldonado's scoring and Maleek Arington's 79 steals, while Yeo must punish defenses more efficiently after shooting 29.5 percent from three. The Redhawks have the league's best rim protector and a clear way to make every contender uncomfortable. San Diego has chosen a faster route. New coach JR Blount brought the pressure and paint-attack principles he helped teach at Iowa State, then assembled a backcourt with several players who can start a possession or finish one. Marqui Worthy averaged 16.4 points at UC Riverside, Davion Hill led Ball State at 14.0, and junior college point guard Braylon Roman produced 12.8 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 38.6 percent from three. Jose Roberto Tanchyn can pass and step outside at center, with Terry McMorris and Sekou Konneh supplying activity around him. The Toreros have more ways to create a good shot than they did last season. Rebounding and defending with a small guard rotation will decide whether that talent becomes a title team immediately. LMU and Pepperdine make the middle of the ballot dangerous. The Lions can build enormous lineups around 6-foot-8 Zion Sensley and 6-foot-11 Jevon Porter, with All Wright adding 42.2 percent three-point shooting. Porter missed Missouri's final 21 games with a leg injury, but his healthy return would give LMU a second big playmaker. Pepperdine gave Griff Aldrich 13 newcomers for the pressure, depth and offensive rebounding style he used at Longwood. Petar Majstorovic brings 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds, while Jahari Williamson arrives after making 44.5 percent of his threes. Santa Clara lost Christian Hammond and NBA first-rounder Allen Graves, while Elijah Mahi appears on the current roster pending a ruling in the 5-for-5 eligibility case. Jake Ensminger's passing, Sash Gavalyugov's late-season surge and Kansas State transfer David Castillo should keep Herb Sendek's offense inventive. The lower half has enough firepower to wreck the order. Pacific returns only 6.4 percent of last season's scoring, yet Jaden Winston and Damarion Vann-Kelly give Dave Smart a rebuilt backcourt with scoring and defensive bite. San Francisco lost its five leading scorers and now has ten freshmen on the roster. Portland's healthier frontcourt includes Timo George and James O'Donnell, and the Pilots showed their upside by upsetting No. 6 Gonzaga last February. Denver joins the league with reigning Summit Player of the Year Carson Johnson, a 20.1-point scorer who made 87 threes, alongside an offense that must defend far better than it did last season. The winner gets more than a banner. It gets first claim on what the WCC will become after Gonzaga. Saint Mary's has the most familiar formula, Seattle owns the strongest defensive anchor, and San Diego brings the most intriguing collection of new guards. Their nonconference results will also determine whether this remains a league with room for multiple NCAA bids. For the first time in nearly half a century, the WCC gets to write the season without knowing which program will have the final word.