NET Rankings: Gonzaga leads four West Coast Conference teams in top 50

Will the West Coast Conference get three teams into the 2025 NCAA Tournament?

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

There aren’t many Division-I college basketball coaches who would sign their team up to play in a true road environment against an NCAA Tournament-caliber opponent in the middle of December — except for San Francisco’s Chris Gerlufsen.

The third-year head coach of the Dons took an “anywhere, anytime, anybody” when he and his coaching staff were putting together the 2024-25 nonconference schedule this offseason. While that mentality made for some intriguing matchups throughout the first month of the season — San Francisco hosted Boise State at the Hilltop, took on Memphis at the Chase Center and battled Clemson in the Sunshine Slam — he admitted it could have a backfire effect as well.

Coming off an impressive double-digit victory over Loyola Chicago at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday, the Dons (9-2) head south down Interstate 43 to take on another talented mid-major program in Bradley (8-2) on Wednesday. The Braves, who rarely lose on their home floor in Carver Arena, were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in the league’s preseason poll and rank No. 1 in the country in 3-point field goal percentage thus far into the season. 

“We're in the very slim minority of teams that were willing to go and probably play [at Bradley]” Gerlufsen said to Gonzaga on SI, back in October. “I may be kicking myself in a month or two as we get ready for that game.”

While Gerlusfen might be contemplating his choices on the way to Peoria, Illinois, he can’t be disappointed with how the Dons have fared in nonleague play to this point. With its only losses coming to Clemson and Memphis, San Francisco’s at-large resume was strengthened following its 76-66 victory over the Ramblers, as Gerlufsen and company moved up seven spots in the NCAA’s NET Rankings to No. 45 on Monday. They have the opportunity to boost their position even more if they can come out of Wednesday’s contest against the Braves with a win.

“Those are the games that I think will have a WCC road atmosphere kind of feel to it; almost have a postseason feel to it,” Gerlusfsen said of playing at Bradley. “Those are the games that prepare you for conference play, and we want to play in those games.”

Heading into the season, there was optimism around the West Coast Conference that the league could send three teams to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. However, no one could’ve foreseen the WCC having just as many teams ranked inside the top 50 of the NET as the Big East (four) and as many top-75 teams as the ACC (five) through the first six weeks of the regular season. Needless to say, three bids are not out of the realm of possibility to this point.

Unsurprisingly, Gonzaga leads the pack at No. 4 in the NET. Despite back-to-back losses to Kentucky and UConn, the Bulldogs (7-3) have already started their postseason resume with victories over Baylor (No. 18), Arizona State (No. 49), on the road at San Diego State (No. 55) and on a neutral floor against Indiana (No. 65). Those four wins put Gonzaga at 4-0 in the “Wins Above Bubble” metric, a new metric to the NET this season that shows how many more, or fewer, wins a team has against its schedule versus what a bubble team would expect to have against the same schedule.

Oregon State is next in the WCC hierarchy with regard to the NET, where the Beavers rank No. 42 after they beat a really good UC Irvine squad by double-digits on Saturday. Wayne Tinkle’s squad has taken care of business at home outside of a last-second loss to Oregon on Nov. 21, though a 78-75 loss to the No. 17-ranked team in the NET probably won’t look bad on Oregon State down the line.

Saint Mary’s is right behind the Beavers at No. 43, followed by Gerlufsen and the Dons just inside the top 50. 

To determine a team’s quality of wins, the NET utilizes a quadrant system that organizes wins and losses based on game location and the opponent's NET ranking. Quad 1 (Q1) games are considered the highest quality, while Quad 4 (Q4) are deemed the lowest quality.

Here’s a closer look at each WCC team’s resume through the lens of the NET:

Gonzaga (No. 4)

Record: 7-3    Q1: 2-3  Q2: 2-0  Q3: 1-0  Q4: 2-0  WAB: 4-0

Best win: Nov. 4 vs. No. 18 Baylor (101-63) at Spokane Arena

Oregon State (No. 42)

Record: 7-2    Q1: 0-2  Q2: 1-0  Q3: 0-0  Q4: 5-0  WAB: 6-1

Best win: Dec. 14 vs. No. 61 UC Irvine (67-55)

Saint Mary’s (No. 43)

Record: 9-2    Q1: 1-2  Q2: 1-0  Q3: 2-0  Q4: 4-0  WAB: 5-0

Best win: Nov. 17 vs. No. 57 Nebraska (77-74) at Sanford Pentagon

San Francisco (No. 45)

Record: 9-2    Q1: 0-2  Q2: 2-0  Q3: 2-0  Q4: 4-0  WAB: 6-0

Best win: Nov. 9 vs. No. 50 Boise State (84-73)

Washington State (No. 67)

Record: 9-2    Q1: 2-1  Q2: 1-1  Q3: 1-0  Q4: 5-0  WAB: 5-0

Best win: Dec. 7 vs. No. 50 Boise State (74-69) at Idaho Central Arena 

Santa Clara (No. 78)

Record: 6-5    Q1: 0-2  Q2: 3-0  Q3: 1-3  Q4: 2-0  WAB: 2-2

Best win: Dec. 14 vs. No. 72 Bradley (84-74) at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada

Loyola Marymount (No. 213)

Record: 5-4    Q1: 0-0  Q2: 1-1  Q3: 1-2  Q4: 2-1  WAB: 2-2

Best win: Dec. 7 vs. No. 52 Nevada (68-64)

Pepperdine (No. 225)

Record: 5-6    Q1: 0-3  Q2: 0-0  Q3: 0-1  Q4: 4-2  WAB: 3-1

Best win: Nov. 29 vs. No. 241 New Mexico State (82-70) at Mullet Arena in Tempe, Arizona

Pacific (No. 256)

Record: 5-7    Q1: 0-3  Q2: 0-0  Q3: 0-3  Q4: 3-1  WAB: 2-1

Best win: Nov. 8 vs. No. 208 San Jose State (80-67) at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii

Portland (No. 334)

Record: 3-7    Q1: 0-1  Q2: 0-1  Q3: 0-4  Q4: 2-1  WAB: 1-2

Best win: Dec. 1 vs. No. 309 Denver (101-90, 2OT)

San Diego (No. 336)

Record: 3-8    Q1: 0-2  Q2: 0-0  Q3: 0-1  Q4: 2-5  WAB: 2-5

Best win: Nov. 8 vs. No. 271 Boston U (74-60)

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

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• What Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard said after UConn loss

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