There have been recent reports that Gonzaga Basketball is discussing a potential Big 12 move, though certainly nothing is imminent for either side. The Bulldogs have long been a powerhouse basketball program out on an island in the WCC. Located in Spokane, Washington, Gonzaga is geographically not a match for most of the power conferences, while a move to the Pac-12 hasn’t looked very likely, especially with UCLA and USC set to depart the league in the coming years.
These Bulldogs have played in two of the last six national title games, and coach Mark Few has developed this program from Cinderella story to nearly Blue Blood status in a span of two decades. Where Gonzaga could end up has long been a conversation around college athletics, with this program seeming to have outgrown the WCC, and not just in men’s basketball. The lack of a football program has been a limiting factor in their potential, but perhaps that’s no longer the case.
Early indications are that Gonzaga would not be moving to the Big 12 (or any conference) in just men’s basketball, wanting to move all of their athletics programs to a new conference. As we just mentioned, this is not a football school, but clearly, other leagues aren’t as concerned about that. The upcoming wave of conference realignment is popping off largely because of the money from television deals, and landing a big fish like Gonzaga would certainly help matters for literally any conference.
There is absolutely nothing concrete here from either side, but we’ll be looking at the impact of a potential move to the Big 12 for this Gonzaga program. We’ve heard rumors or rumblings to the Big East in recent months and years, but our focus is on their addition to the Big 12. That conference is already undergoing some major changes in the coming years, but what exactly would a Gonzaga addition do for college basketball?