NCAA Basketball: Examining 10 potential moves in conference realignment

West Virginia to ACC

With the SEC’s additions of Oklahoma and Texas, the conference not only boasts a plethora of talented programs and universities but it’s now got sixteen teams in the league. As a result, it would make sense for other major conferences to be proactive in building their ranks. West Virginia transitioning to the ACC would give that conference sixteen members in basketball, plus would make a ton of success for other reasons.

West Virginia has always been a bit out on its own in the Big 12, being quite far away from the other teams in the conference. In the ACC, the Mountaineers would be right there between a number of schools. They’d be back in the same conference as rival Pittsburgh, would join the two nearby Virginia schools again, and have had some solid seasons in both football and basketball in recent memory. They don’t quite have the academics of a Duke, but would still certainly add much to this conference.

If the ACC wants to add a program proactively, West Virginia is the clear choice. The basketball program would slide right into one of the deepest conferences in the nation, while football could certainly make its mark in a conference dominated by Clemson in recent years. With Notre Dame likely not joining the league full-time anytime soon, West Virginia could make this move, getting themselves back in a conference that makes sense geographically and would actually be a much better basketball league.