WCC Bracket Announced: Cougars Will Play Friday vs. Pepperdine or Portland
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Washington State Cougars guard Ace Glass drives to the basket for a layup against the Portland Pilots in WCC action. Credit: Washington State Athletics [/caption]
The West Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament bracket has been released with the Washington State Cougars holding the No. 8 seed and awaiting a second-round game against either the Portland Pilots or the Pepperdine Waves.
The 2026 WCC Tournament Bracket. pic.twitter.com/g6QjWpraSP— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 1, 2026
On Friday night, Washington State will play the winner of the Pilots and Waves, and if the Cougars manage to win that game, they will face San Francisco on Saturday. Washington State is 2-0 against Portland this year, and Portland is the only Division I team that Washington State has beaten away from the state of Washington. Wazzu beat Pepperdine at home, but just lost to them in an extremely disappointing effort on the road.
Pepperdine has beaten Portland twice in the regular season and will aim to complete the season sweep for a shot at a second round rematch against Washington State. As the old saying goes, it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row, which will be tested both in the opening round game as well as the second round game if the Cougars face the Pilots.
Regardless, the Cougars will play Friday night against a team they have already beaten with a chance to extend their season. Here’s a closer look at their two potential opponents to open the WCC tournament:
Portland Pilots
Record: 13-18
WCC Record: 6-12
KenPom: 202
Portland comes into the WCC Tournament with momentum after beating San Diego 87-74, snapping a four-game losing streak. Portland has had a ton of injuries this year. They have even had to suit up graduate manager Sam Noland, who thought he finished his career playing at Division III Pacific Lutheran last year. He played a handful of minutes in certain games just because they needed another body.
The man you need to know for the Pilots is Joel Foxwell. Foxwell, along with Ace Glass and Allen Graves, is known as one of the top freshmen in the WCC. Foxwell enters the tournament averaging 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. He is sixth in the league in scoring and first in assists. Even though Foxwell’s efficiency has dipped in the last few games, he has the ability to take over a game, just like he did against Gonzaga, where he had 27 points and eight assists on 11-for-18 shooting. If Washington State hopes to sweep Portland, it will start with containing Foxwell.
Pepperdine
Record: 9-22
WCC Record: 4-14
KenPom: 260
Pepperdine has gone 4-14 in WCC play this season, but the Waves have won three of their last five, including a win at Portland and a win at home against Washington State. They led against the Cougars for the entire game, led big man Stefan Cicic, who had a career performance with 23 points and 10 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.
Leading scorer Aaron Clark enters the matchup averaging 15.5 points per game, which is seventh in the WCC. Point guard Styles Phillips is another player to watch. Phillips is averaging 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. That ranks 15th in points, ninth in rebounds, and fourth in assists in the WCC, giving the underdogs some surprising backcourt firepower for being the conference’s cellar dweller this year.
