NCAA Basketball: 3 takeaways from Colorado leaving Pac-12 for the Big 12

Conference realignment has been a massive part of the offseason conversation, affecting NCAA Basketball and beyond. The biggest thing to watch has been the ongoing battle between the Big 12 Conference and the Pac-12 when it comes to potential expansion.

Around a year ago, both USC and UCLA left the Pac-12 for the Big 12, the biggest realignment move since Oklahoma and Texas made the decision to the Big 12 for the SEC, which is set to be official in 2024. To the league’s credit, the Big 12 countered by adding four programs, three from the AAC (Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF) along with BYU from the WCC.

Yet in the spirit of being on the aggressive side, the Big 12 also has been in reported constant conversations with several schools from the Pac-12 in the past year. The names that were consistently being brought up included Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado. In the end, it looks like one of them is set to make the move official.

Over a decade ago, the Buffaloes had left the Big 12 for the Pac-12 along with the Utah Utes. Since then, it hasn’t been great for the program on the basketball side, with just one NCAA Tournament appearance in the past seven seasons. But the hope is that this move can jumpstart the basketball program going forward.

There’s plenty to take away from this decision for all sides involved, including both of the conferences as well as Colorado. Here are some takeaways I have from this news break.