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Stats through last Sunday. Numbers in parentheses RPI ranking after Sunday’s matches.

Best uRPI Non-Conference Win

16 – Santa Clara (Maryland)
24 – Portland (Marquette)
26 – BYU (Nebraska)
55 – San Diego (UC Irvine)
68 – Pepperdine (Texas A&M)
109 – San Francisco (Kansas)
136 – Gonzaga (Oregon State)
142 – Saint Mary’s (CA) (Loyola (Ill.))
193 – Loyola Marymount (UC Santa Barbara)
213 – Pacific (New Mexico)

Average uRPI Non-Conference Win

61.6 – BYU
120.3 – Santa Clara
127.4 – Portland
128.4 – Pepperdine
140.0 – San Diego
184.6 – San Francisco
213.0 – Pacific
218.6 – Loyola Marymount
225.3 – Saint Mary’s (CA)
242.0 – Gonzaga

(15) Santa Clara

All things considered, the Broncos aren’t faring too badly after their opening weekend horror show. They’re firmly in national seed territory with wins over Long Beach State and Maryland, while the draw with California will probably get better as the season goes along if the Golden Bears live up to their lofty expectations. The ship on a top two seed may have sailed though, as the Broncos would probably have to run the table or come close to it to claim one and likely avoid Stanford in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

(16) Portland

It’s a good thing the Pilots got a win against Marquette and draw at Stanford early on, because there’s little else of real note on their profile since. Portland isn’t getting the expected bump from wins against Central Michigan, Missouri, San Diego State, and Wyoming were expected to provide. UP has to hope that the above can get it together in league play, because there are still some serious anchors in WCC action that figure to keep their rise up the RPI in check. A good league season should see them in the national seed mix, but I think it’s going to take a lot for an unlikely top two seed.

(35) BYU

The Cougars’ form is hemorrhaging over the past few weeks, and even the wins against Nebraska and Utah probably aren’t going to be enough to save it if it can’t improve upon the one win in five run it just finished up on. A non-conference game at Baylor this weekend could be huge for both’s at-large bid hopes, but the Cougars really need to make up ground in the league. A finish in the top half would likely be enough, but the road to a national seed may have already come and gone unless the club can beat Santa Clara or Portland, maybe both.

(55) Pepperdine

Pepperdine looks squarely on the bubble at the halfway point. The Waves’ best result is a home draw with Cal, with the road win at Texas A&M counting for little at this point. You’d have to figure that both of the above will appreciate in value as the season goes on, but it’s not a sure thing by any means. Of course, Pepperdine would solve a lot of problems for itself by just having a good season in the WCC and knocking off a few of the league’s big three. Otherwise, it could be a nervous Selection Monday.

(92) San Diego

The Toreros effectively kept themselves above water in the at-large bid race by beating Long Beach State, but it still looks like a massive uphill climb. The victories against UC Irvine and the aforementioned 49ers might help a little if USD’s against a weak bubble field, but Missouri and Kansas getting their act together in the SEC and Big XII would also help out. More than likely though, the Toreros are going to have to do a lot of damage in the WCC to stand much of a chance under Selection Committee scrutiny.

(114) San Francisco

The Dons are middle of the pack in the RPI and truthfully have little chance of an at-large bid barring a miraculous WCC season. The club’s best non-conference result was their road draw at Oregon, a result that may actually atrophy in time if the Ducks can’t escape the bottom of the Pac-12. Form is against the Dons as well, as they’ve won just one of six against heightened competition towards the end of non-conference play.

(138) Saint Mary’s (CA)

The Gaels have played a whole lot of very good teams, namely four in the uRPI Top 25 and another (Cal) ranked in the Top 45. It might explain why the club is still in the RPI Top 150 despite being 4-7-0 and having beaten just a single team in the uRPI Top 200. They’ll probably slip down a bit if they slip towards the bottom of the WCC, but mid-table probably could see them go up just a bit in the RPI, though an at-large bid looks to be beyond them.

(167) Loyola Marymount

The Lions started the season 3-1-0 and have dropped like a rock since, losing seven straight. The wins aren’t necessarily impressive either, leading the club to sink towards being out of the uRPI Top 200. They’re already all but out of the race for an at-large bid and are probably going to need a big effort to just get into mid-table in the WCC. If they get there, they might climb a little in the RPI, though I’d be surprised if they crack the Top 100.

(241) Gonzaga

Gonzaga’s just a game under .500, but when two wins are over Eastern Washington (uRPI #293) and another over UC Riverside (uRPI #272), your RPI probably isn’t going to be that impressive. The defeat to Fresno State is really dragging the club’s ranking down, as none of their other losses are against club’s out of the uRPI Top 100. I think the uRPI’s underrating them a bit, and they might be able to climb as many as a hundred places or so if they can perform competently in the WCC.

(305) Pacific

Good god, it’s a disaster in Stockton. The Tigers were probably going to get a rough education in league play in their first year in the WCC, but they really needed to win some games in non-conference play to not end up in the position they’re in now. Nobody expected wins against the likes of Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa, but defeats to teams like San Jose State and Sacramento State? Yeesh. It’s probably going to take a miracle for them to not end up on bottom or very near it in the WCC, though they might be spared the indignity of finishing out of the RPI Top 300 by sheer strength of schedule from their league opponents.

Preseason Predicted Finish

1. Portland
2. Santa Clara
3. BYU
4. Pepperdine
5. San Diego
6. Loyola Marymount
7. Saint Mary’s (CA)
8. San Francisco
9. Pacific
10. Gonzaga

Post Non-Conference Predicted Finish

1. Portland
2. Santa Clara
3. Pepperdine
4. BYU
5. San Diego
6. Saint Mary’s (CA)
7. San Francisco
8. Gonzaga
9. Loyola Marymount
10. Pacific

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