The BYU men’s basketball team has been the West Coast Conference’s third-best team in recent seasons.
So, even with the Cougars now piloted by a new coach (Mark Pope), it’s no surprise they were picked to finish third again in the WCC annual men’s preseason poll released in Las Vegas Thursday.
The Cougars were again picked to finish behind No. 1 and national powerhouse Gonzaga (79 points, seven first-place votes) and Saint Mary’s (75, three first-place votes).
The Cougars received 65 points, and were followed by Pepperdine (56), Santa Clara (50) and San Francisco (40). The poll was rounded out with Loyola Marymount (34), Pacific (21), San Diego (21) and Portland (9).