WCC Power Rankings: December 26th
By Josh Horton
Dec 6, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Loyola Marymount Lions head coach Max Good gestures from the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Pittsburgh won 85-68. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
7. Loyola Marymount
Last Week: 5
Record: 8-4
RPI: 170
KenPom: 142
PPG: 79.8
RPG: 38.5
FG%: .458
This past week and a half: W vs. Cal Poly, W vs. La Sierra
The LMU Lions, after their brief losing streak, have managed to pick up two wins in the past few days. After beating Cal Poly and La Sierra in the past week, the Lions were able to finish the non-conference portion of their schedule at 8-4. Now, the Lions are headed into the weekend all prepped and ready to play WCC foes BYU on Saturday, and San Diego on Monday. Despite some injuries to players like Gabe Levin, the Lions have still been able to score well thanks, in large part, to the back-court tandem of Anthony Ireland and Evan Payne. LMU has been lacking a traditional post presence all year as Ben Dickinson and Gabe Levin aren’t your conventional forwards. In the past two games, however, the fifth-year senior Alex Osborne has begun to blossom into that missing piece and has improved by leaps and bounds statistically, proving his value as a much-needed asset on the court. The Lions are a better team than they were last year. They are certainly hoping to get off to a better start in conference play than last season, and know that a win against two of the WCC’s top teams this weekend could be huge in value for the rest of their season, both as a confidence booster and as a momentum builder.
By Cam Newton