NCAA Basketball: Examining 10 potential moves in conference realignment
By Joey Loose
Grand Canyon to WCC
Last week, BYU departed the WCC to join the Big 12, which is not only a fantastic move for the Cougars program but leaves their old conference in a bit of a bind. Rumors are running rampant that Gonzaga could look for a new home, as we’ve already speculated in this article. Even if the Bulldogs do stay in the WCC, it begs the question of what the conference should do next, seeing as BYU was one of the few teams that could (sometimes) compete with Gonzaga.
Grand Canyon emerges as a suitor for the WCC, has done fantastic work through eight seasons in the WAC at the D1 level. There’s a lot of investment in the school, great facilities, fan interaction, and the basketball program just made their first NCAA Tournament. Under new coach Bryce Drew, these Antelopes look like the new top program in the conference. They could slide nicely into the WCC and pick up some of the slack that BYU is leaving behind.
In a league like the WCC, it’s possible that Grand Canyon puts themselves in a position for potential at-large bids, something that’s worked well for BYU and Saint Mary’s over the years. However, you have to wonder if there’s any hesitance from Grand Canyon, seeing as their road to that automatic bid in basketball would get remarkably more difficult. Obviously, the move would be fantastic for the university, would likely lead to increased interest in the program, and would also give the WCC a new market in Phoenix and Arizona.