Las Vegas • The hierarchy in the West Coast Conference men’s basketball race is often referred to as the “Big Three” because Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and BYU — usually in that order — have ruled the league since the Cougars joined it in 2011.
In reality, it should be called the Big One, because the Zags are so far above everyone else in terms of national prestige and profile that mentioning another WCC program in the same sentence is usually a waste of time.
“They have created the standard for what the conference should be,” new San Diego coach Sam Scholl said Thursday at the eighth annual WCC Tip-Off media event at Orleans Arena, site of the WCC men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in March.