Pac-12 Basketball: 5 more programs the conference could consider poaching

San Francisco Dons

A running theme here is that the WCC is a great conference for the Pac-12 to try and poach from - sorry to WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. If Gonzaga was plan A and Saint Mary's is plan B, you could do worse for a plan C than the Dons.

San Francisco can turn to its history for a helping hand. Pete Newell and Bill Russell were among those to walk through the doors for the Dons. The program won back-to-back championships in 1955 and 1956 before drifting into the wilderness as the result of a self-imposed death penalty.

It's been a long time, but the Dons are showing signs of life again. In 2022, the program made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years. It also made the NIT last year and has spurned out some good coaching talent, including Todd Golden.

It doesn't hurt that San Francisco plays in a major market. Between the Golden State Warriors and the upstart WNBA Valkyries, there's plenty of basketball to be played in the Bay Area. There's a market for a major conference team.

The Dons even play some of their games at the professional Chase Center. If the Pac-12 can get some buzz, the Dons should be able to fill a decent amount of seats at the newish arena.

One potential hold-up is that the Dons don't have a football program, so they'd have to join as a non-football member. It's unclear if the Pac-12 would have interest in that. Then again, Gonzaga is the same situation.

For what it's worth, the Pac-12 is based in San Ramon, a mere 30 miles from San Francisco.