Death, taxes and another season where the Gonzaga Bulldogs are the WCC favorites heading into January. The WCC is a top-heavy league once again, but there are a few different teams that have surprised thus far.
Let's dig more into these teams in our WCC betting report with odds.
The Favorite
Gonzaga Bulldogs (-220)
As crazy as this sounds, this is a pretty cheap price for the Bulldogs. I would never recommend anybody laying -220 juice for a conference champion, but there really aren't any teams that have the chops to compete with them.
Despite losing to UConn and Purdue, this Bulldogs team has a lot of talent. They're 21st and 22nd in Adjusted Offensive and Defensive Efficiency, respectively.
There are no teams in this conference as balanced as the Bulldogs, and quite frankly, it's not particularly close. If they could improve their 3-point shooting, 28-1 isn't the worst bet in the world to win the national title.
The Contenders
Saint Mary's Gaels (+250)
I really like Randy Bennett's team on the defensive end of the floor, but the offense is really holding back the Gaels' potential. They're 18th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency.
This offense is absolutely painful to watch, and it's shocking given their length and athleticism. They're 13th in average height, but their 3-point and free-throw shooting have really held them back.
Guard Aidan Mahaney was a walking bucket last season, but he's really struggled to begin the year.
I just don't trust this offense to turn it around any time soon, as this is one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the country.
San Francisco Dons (+1600)
Besides the Bulldogs, this might be the most balanced team in the conference. The Dons are fifth in scoring and second in defense in the WCC.
If you haven't gotten a chance to watch him play, Marcus Williams is a ton of fun to watch. Although he's struggled big time from beyond the arc, he's fourth in the conference in scoring average at 15.8 points per game.
This defense is absolutely sensational, and if the Dons could slightly improve their offensive numbers, they're going to be tough to beat in conference play.
Santa Clara Broncos (+1600)
You may look at the Broncos on KenPom and think they're more balanced than the Dons, but you'll notice there are about 60 teams in between their overall ranking.
The Broncos got off to a hot start to begin the year, but lately, they've lost three of their last four contests.
According to ShotQuality, this is a bottom-100 team in Rim-and-3 Rate, and I personally think more negative regression is looming.
This team doesn't excel in many areas, and it's very turnover-prone.
Long Shot
Loyola Marymount Lions (+2300)
This is a high-variance offensive team, and these are the types that I usually like to take in long-shot circumstances.
Remember when I mentioned that Santa Clara was a bit of a fraud? Well, for some reason the Lions are ranked higher on KenPom but are bigger dogs to win the conference.
Dominick Harris is sixth in the conference in scoring and is shooting a ridiculous 46% from 3. This kid is a walking bucket when he has things cooking.
This is a deep team that loves to shoot a ton of 3s, so the Lions seem like a great candidate to back as an underdog in particular spots during conference play. They don't have enough length to be worthy of a long-shot bet, but keep an eye on them in certain situational spots.
The Stragglers
Pepperdine, Portland & San Diego (Between 100-250/1)
Pepperdine has the top two scorers in the conference on its team in Michael Ajayi and Houston Mallette, but yet it's 140-1 to win the regular season title.
The Waves don't play enough defense, and all of their opponents so far this season have had their way with them out on the perimeter.
If there's any sort of betting value to take away from the Waves, it's that they may be a decent over team due to their horrific defense, although they don't shoot many 3s on offense. I guess they can hang a banner that they have the two top scorers of the conference.
If you want to watch bad defense, look no further than this Portland Pilots team. They're 298th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and they give up a ton of 3-point attempts.
They take a ton of 3s themselves, but the issue is they're not very good at shooting them. I'd rather go auto-pilot and invest my money elsewhere.
San Diego has been a nice surprise, but it's a major negative regression candidate. I spoke about the Gaels' offense above, but the Toreros could make a case for the worst offense in the conference.
Their -23.93 negative record luck, according to ShotQuality, suggests that they're in for a rude awakening. Despite having two double-digit scorers in Deuce Turner and Wayne McKinney III, I have no faith in this team moving forward.
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Better Luck Next Year
Pacific Tigers (+25000)
Folks, you're potentially reading about the worst team in the entire country. This Pacific team may be 4-8, but my goodness are they fortunate to even have those wins.
Looking at their schedule, there's a legitimate chance they lose every game the rest of the way. This is a bottom-15 offense and a bottom-40 defense, and that's honestly quite generous given how awful they truly are.
I honestly have no idea how they beat Cal earlier in the season because that's how little faith I have in this team moving forward. The Tigers can't do anything well on either side of the floor, and you're better off burning your money on fire instead of backing them.
The only positive I can take out of this team is that they'll be a prime fade candidate during conference play, and I'd be comfortable laying almost any number against them.
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