The end of the Pac-12 conference resulted in the two remaining programs – Washington State and Oregon State – joining the WCC as affiliate members in all sports outside of football and baseball.
The 2024-25 college basketball season will be their first in the WCC, where they will compete with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s to try to win the league and secure an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Zags and Gaels have been atop the standings in the WCC for the better part of the past two decades, and even a ten-year run by BYU in the league didn’t derail either Mark Few or Randy Bennett’s program.
The Cougars come into the WCC having lost nearly every single player from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad, as well as coach Kyle Smith, while Oregon State limps into the league after struggling mightily the last couple seasons in the Pac-12.
Can both new programs finish top five in a league that also features quality programs in San Francisco and Santa Clara? Or will they be relegated to the middle of the pack in conference play?
Below is a way-too-early look at how the conference regular season might play out in 2024-25, including key additions and departures for each program: