SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – West Coast Conference men’s basketball will be featured on national television 47 times during the 2023-24 season. A total of 34 games will be nationally televised as part of the WCC’s long-term agreements with ESPN and CBS Sports, with 17 regular season games and five games in the WCC Men’s Basketball Championship on ESPN networks, and 12 regular season contests on CBS Sports Network.
In addition to the 34 games in the Conference’s national television package, WCC teams will make 13 appearances on national television in non-conference play, highlighted by Gonzaga’s visit to Kentucky on Saturday, Feb. 10, in a game televised on CBS and Paramount+.
The WCC will once again be a featured part of ESPN’s coverage with 14 conference games appearing on ESPN networks. In addition to 10 games on Thursdays and Saturdays, WCC men’s hoops will be featured on three Tuesday telecasts and one Wednesday telecast during conference play. WCC basketball will also be featured on ESPN’s Championship Week coverage once again, with six live telecasts from Las Vegas during the WCC Basketball Championship. This includes both the WCC Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball championship games on March 12.
All games that are televised on an ESPN network will also be available on the ESPN App with TV Everywhere credentials. WCC basketball games that are not nationally televised will be available on ESPN+, the leading sports streaming service. Blackout restrictions apply in certain local markets.
The WCC’s national telecast package on ESPN features a non-conference clash between Gonzaga and the 2023 NCAA runner-up San Diego State on Friday, Dec. 29, in Spokane. The first ESPN telecast, as part of the Conference’s national television package, is on Monday, Nov. 27, as Saint Mary’s hosts Utah. Gonzaga will also battle the 2023 national champions, Connecticut, on Friday, Dec. 15, on ESPN2 in a game to be played at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. This game will be a rematch of the 2023 NCAA West Regional Final. GU makes nine ESPN appearances during conference play. Saint Mary’s will also be featured nine times on ESPN networks, with eight of them being conference contests.
On Thursday, Feb. 29, Gonzaga and San Francisco will meet in the Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Warriors, on ESPN2. This game will be two days before the regular season finale when Gonzaga heads to Moraga to rekindle its conference rivalry with Saint Mary’s on Saturday, March 2, at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The first matchup between the Zags and Gaels will take place on Saturday, Feb. 3, in Spokane.
Among the 12 games that will air on CBS Sports Network as part of the WCC’s partnership with CBS Sports, 10 will be intraconference contests. Gonzaga makes two appearances, while Saint Mary’s will be featured five times. San Francisco is hosting Minnesota at the Chase Center on Sunday, Nov. 26. The Dons will also appear on CBS Sports Network Nov. 17 and 19 in the Arizona Tip-Off event.
CBS Sports Network’s 10 conference games include eight Thursday night contests, one Saturday and one Wednesday game. Saint Mary’s kicks of the network’s coverage of conference tilts Jan. 4 at San Diego.
CBS Sports Network is widely available through all major cable, satellite and telco distributors as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, DirecTV and Hulu. Additionally, a live CBS Sports Network stream is available through CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App by authenticating with select providers.
This season the WCC returns to a complete round robin men’s basketball schedule with all nine teams competing against each other at each venue. The 2024 WCC Men’s Basketball Championship schedule will feature one game on Thursday, March 7, with two games on Friday, March 8; Saturday, March 9; and Monday March 11 before two teams do battle for the conference crown on Tuesday, March 12.
In 2022-23, Gonzaga advanced to the Elite Eight, while Saint Mary’s advanced to the second round for the second straight year. The WCC has been a multi-bid league in the NCAA Tournament every year since 2019, excluding 2020 when the NCAA was not conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the WCC has been a multi-bid league 10 times since 2010. The WCC also boasted two teams in the Top 25 in the final AP poll of the regular season – No. 9 Gonzaga and No. 19 Saint Mary’s.
Gonzaga retooled with the No. 2 ranked guard in the transfer portal, according to ESPN, in Creighton transfer Ryan Nembhard. His brother, Andrew, enjoyed a solid career at Gonzaga from 2018-22. Returning for the Zags is Anton Watson, one of the league’s toughest defenders a season ago, as well as boasting the WCC’s second-best field goal percentage (61.6), second only to Drew Timme among WCC players.
Gonzaga shared the 2022-23 WCC regular season championship with Saint Mary’s. The Gaels have multiple noteworthy returners this season, headlined by 2023 Freshman All-American and All-WCC First Team selection Aidan Mahaney. Alex Ducas opted to return for his fifth year and brings vital leadership along with senior center Mitchell Saxen.
WCC squads will feature several international transfers this season. San Francisco brought in Dayton transfer, and native of Mongolia, Mike Sharavhamts, while Gonzaga welcomes South Korean transfer Jun Seok Yeo (Korea University). Santa Clara added Adama Bal (Arizona, France) and Francisco Caffaro (Virginia, Argentina). LMU also added Will Johnston (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Australia) and Lars Thiemann (California, Germany).
As the season approaches, check the interactive schedule on WCCsports.com or follow West Coast Conference Basketball on Twitter (@WCChoops) for up-to-date information.
2023-24 WCC MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
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About the West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate athletics. The WCC is fueled by the conviction to achieve its goals with strong core values of integrity, respect, collaboration, innovation and inclusiveness that create a holistic student-athlete experience across the Conference. The WCC’s membership includes Gonzaga, LMU, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara. The Conference sponsors 16 sports. In the WCC, We Create Champions on the field of competition and leaders in life. For more information, visit WCCsports.com and follow the WCC on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @WCCsports.
