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West Coast Conference preview: Surprise! Gonzaga will rule again

After transferring from Kentucky, Gonzaga junior Kyle Wiltjer flourished in Spokane, Washington. He was named the West Coast Conference's newcomer of the year. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Gonzaga has won at least a share of 14 of the past 15 regular-season titles in the West Coast Conference, a remarkable run of success that's likely to continue in 2015-16. Coach Mark Few lost his entire backcourt, but he might have the best frontcourt in all of Division I and, anyway, the rest of the league doesn't appear to have a rival capable of dethroning the Bulldogs.

Nevertheless, it's plausible that the WCC could furnish the Zags with some company in the 2016 NCAA tournament. Certainly Brigham Young would like another shot. The Cougars bowed out of the 2015 round of 68 after allowing Ole Miss to score 62 points in one half of basketball. Even without BYU all-time leading scorer Tyler Haws, Dave Rose will get sufficient offense this season from Kyle Collinsworth, Chase Fischer and much-talked-about freshman Nick Emery (now available after completing his two-year LDS mission). The real question in Provo could be the defense played by the likes of Corbin Kaufusi, Utah State transfer Kyle Davis and UNLV transfer Jamal Aytes.