BYU basketball: Cougars picked to place 3rd in WCC; Gonzaga first

"When Gonzaga and BYU come to town, people come out," Walters said.

"We lead the country in rushed courts — and we might lead in overrated chants," Few said with a smile.

His Zags will face another daunting preseason schedule, with home games against Butler, Notre Dame and Michigan State.

The BYU game is already a hot ticket around the league.

Cougars coach Dave Rose knows the feeling. It's been that way for a few years now.

BYU made its deepest NCAA run since 1981 before losing in overtime to Florida in the regional semifinals. The Cougars must find a way to replace all-time leading scorer Jimmer Fredette.

"What's really exciting for us is to come into this league at a time when it's probably at its best," Rose said. "Saint Mary's made the Sweet Sixteen a few years ago, Gonzaga's made their run a couple times and you have so many returning all-conference players. It will be interesting to see how we fit, how we compete in a league that's a lot different. It's a lot different than the Mountain West Conference, but the challenge is still the same."

Team (First Place Votes) Points

1. Gonzaga University (7) 63

2. Saint Mary's College (1) 56

3. Brigham Young University (1) 52

4. University of San Francisco 42

5. Santa Clara University 35

6. Loyola Marymount University 27

7. University of Portland 25

8. Pepperdine University 13

9. University of San Diego 11

Note: Coaches could not vote for their teams

Player School Yr. Pos.

Brandon Davies BYU Jr. F

Matthew Dellavedova Saint Mary's Jr. G

Kevin Foster Santa Clara RS-Jr. G

Rashad Green San Francisco Sr. G

Elias Harris Gonzaga Jr. F

Rob Jones Saint Mary's RS-Sr. F

Nemanja Mitrovic Portland Sr. G

Robert Sacre Gonzaga RS-Sr. C

Drew Viney Loyola Marymount RS-Sr. F

Michael Williams San Francisco Jr. G

Note: Team listed alphabetically