Few teams in the country could lose as much talent as Gonzaga did and still be considered the conference favorite. But, as usual, the Bulldogs are the pick to win the West Coast Conference.

Certainly, the Bulldogs are vulnerable this season. Four starters are gone from last season's team. They do not look like a national top 10 power as they have in recent years. Their run of nine consecutive league championships could end.

But there have been similar tales over the past decade, and every year Mark Few comes up with enough to win the conference.

Gonzaga may have the best backcourt in the conference, but its frontcourt has to be rebuilt from scratch.

All three frontcourt starters—Josh Heytvelt, Micah Downs and Austin Daye—are gone, and Daye's...]]> Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:56:09 PDT ncaab urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,sportsxchange:20080101:ncaab,article,teamreports-2009-ncaab-gaj:1 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:56:09 PDT