WCC Tournament Team Preview: San Diego

#5 San Diego Toreros

Record: 15-15, 8-10

Postseason Prediction: CIT Tournament

WCC Tournament – Quarterfinals:

• Saturday, March 7, 2015
• Time: 2:00 PM Pacific
• Opponent: #4 Pepperdine (17-12, 10-8)

Stats Leaders:

• Points: Johnny Dee (17.4 PPG)
• Rebounds: Thomas Jacobs (5.0 RPG)
• Assists: Chris Anderson (6.1 APG)
• Blocks: Jito Kok (2.5 BPG)

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The record may not reflect it, but the Toreros enter the WCC Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the conference. They underwent a complete turnaround in the second half of conference play including getting impressive wins against BYU, Pepperdine, and at Portland in their regular season finale. They have had some of their best performances of the season in recent games, and they are peaking at the right time for a deep run in Las Vegas.

How the Toreros Can Win it All

This team can hang with the best of them, so getting past all of the top teams is not totally impossible. The defense should be stout the entire tournament, so it really comes down to their offense as it has all season. Often times they have been very shallow with no help beyond Dee. But if they get more of the team effort they have recently, they have a shot. The trio of freshmen headlined by Vasa Pusica must contribute consistently, and it wouldn’t hurt if Jacobs, Perry and Anderson did some scoring as well. If they can do just enough to back up their solid defense, they can surprise some teams.

Predicted Finish

With the way Pepperdine is struggling and how the Toreros dominated them in their last meeting, San Diego could easily get past them in their first game. That’s a very solid upset pick right now to have the #5 Toreros move on over the #4 Waves. Unfortunately they are on the wrong side of the bracket and get Gonzaga sooner rather than later. That will be the first game for the Bulldogs since their upset to BYU to finish the regular season last Saturday. The Toreros don’t have the size and athleticism to hang with the Bulldogs, so their road should end there in the semifinals. But for a team that was downright awful through the first half of conference play, a win over a good Pepperdine team and a good effort against Gonzaga is far from a disappointment.