WCC Power Rankings, December 2nd

March 8, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Loyola Marymount Lions forward Taj Adams (10, left) and guard Anthony Ireland (3) celebrate against the Santa Clara Broncos during the second half in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

6. Loyola Marymount

Record: 5-2

Wins: Grand Canyon, South Dakota State, Long Beach State, Northern Arizona, Marist

Losses: Northern Arizona, Vanderbilt

Movement: Down 2

The Lions trip to the Bahamas went a little worse than planned. The Lions lost a close game to Northern Iowa, narrowly beat a struggling Morgan State squad and lost to Vanderbilt. The Lions 1-2 finish at the Paradise Jam has fans questioning if this teams promise will materialize to anything this season.

With that being said, there is no question that the Lions have a lot of promise this season. Two freshmen – Gabe Levin and Evan Payne – have caught the eyes of fans and pundits in the WCC. Levin is leading LMU in rebounding with 8.3 per game, and is second on the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game. Payne has emerged as a capable scorer and dynamic playmaker for the Lions as well.

The Paradise Jam looked like it was potentially just a sequence of growing pains for the Lions. LMU is a young team, but if that budding potential breaks through in the near future combined with star point guard Anthony Ireland, Loyola Marymount will be a force to be reckoned with in the WCC.