Way-Too-Early WCC Men's Basketball Power Rankings For 2025-2026

12. San Diego 

It's been rough sledding for the Toreros. After finishing last in the conference, they have lost nearly their entire team. One of the bright spots is that coach Savin has done fairly well in the portal this offseason. But with so few returning players, depth is almost certain to be an issue. 

11. Pepperdine

The Waves showed significant improvement down the stretch last season. Unfortunately, they will not be returning any of their top five scorers. Instead, they will be relying mostly on transfers who don't have any starting experience. 

10. Portland

A team that had talent show out in the back half of last season, the Pilot's roster has been absolutely decimated. It will be very difficult to replace the production of Austin Rapp and Max Mckinnon, who both transferred to power four schools. Coach Legans has been dealt a tough hand for this coming season. 

9. Pacific

The Tigers will not be returning any starters from a season where they went 9-24. Leading scorer Elijah Fisher transferred to Seton Hall, while standout guard Lamar Washington went to Georgia Tech. They do have some promising transfers coming in, but like San Diego, they are unlikely to be very deep. 

8. Santa Clara

The Broncos are going to have their work cut out for them after losing four of their starters and their sixth man this offseason. Adama-Alpha Bal and Carlos Stewart Jr. graduated, while Christoph Tilly and Tyree Bryan both hit the portal. However, they are well-coached under Herb Sendek, who has acquired two quality transfers in Aleksandar Gavalyugov and Gehrig Normand. 

7. Washington State

The Cougars will not be returning any of their main pieces from last season. Though they've acquired four players from the transfer portal, they currently lack depth with everyone that they lost from last season. But they are returning some young players from last season who will be likely to take on bigger roles. In addition, transfers like Emmanuel Ugbo and Jerone Morton have a lot of upside. 

6. Oregon State

Though they've been decimated by the transfer portal, the Beavers could be hard to predict. Wayne Tinkle has demonstrated a fairly strong ability to get good production out of transfers(as was the case during the incredible 2020 elite-eight run), and that's what a lot of this season will come down to.  The return of guys like Josiah Lake II and Isaiah Sy will also be a boost. Though Oregon State's floor could certainly be lower than 6th, there is also a scenario where their ceiling is much higher. 

5. Loyola Marymount

After a very up and down season, the Lions seem to be in good shape for 2026. They will be returning some important role players who are likely to start. The Lions have also found talent in the portal, such as Eastern Illinois transfer Nakyel Shelton, who averaged 17 points per game last season. 

4. Seattle U

The Redhawks have the potential to be a WCC sleeper. Though they've lost their top two scorers to graduation, Seattle will be returning key starters John Christofilis and Brayden Maldonado, who both averaged nine points last season. The Redhawks have also acquired some notable transfers including Gonzaga forward Jun Seok Yeo and DII guard Jojo Murphy. If they can find chemistry, this is a team that might surprise people. 

3. San Francisco

Chris Gerlufsen has been brilliant in utilizing the transfer portal this offseason. The additions of Pitt center Guillermo Diaz Graham and Oregon forward Mookie Cook add a huge boost of talent to the lineup. Combined with the return of Tyrone Riley and Ryan Beasley, the Dons could be a competitor in the conference title race. 

2. Saint Mary's

It will be difficult to replace the talent from last year's team that won the WCC regular season title. This being said, the Gaels could once again be a top-25 threat. They are returning a big scoring threat in Paulius Marauskas. Mikey Lewis, who played significant minutes as a freshman guard, looks ready to take on a bigger role this season. Additionally, Saint Mary's has gotten commitments from two four-star recruits. 

1. Gonzaga

After failing to meet expectations last year, the Zags will be even hungrier this season. Though they've lost two starting guards to graduation, the Bulldogs will be returning their key frontcourt pieces, including Graham Ike. After redshirting his first season in the program, Colgate transfer Braeden Smith will likely start at point guard. Scoring threats have been added with Grand Canyon transfer Tyon Grant-Foster and Arizona State transfer Adam Miller. If Mark Few can make things click, this team has a shot to make another deep tournament run.