Gonzaga keeping close eye on conference realignment shuffle

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Aug. 10—The Big 12? A reconfigured Pac-12/Mountain West? The West Coast Conference, Gonzaga’s home since 1979? The Big East?

If you’re wondering what might happen — or not happen — to Gonzaga in the flurry of conference realignment, join the crowd, which probably includes the Zags, too.

The carousel hasn’t stopped spinning. As events of the last week demonstrated, things can change in heartbeat.

It’s no secret Gonzaga has had discussions with the Big 12. The sides seemed to be getting cozier before the latest round of reshuffling saw Washington and Oregon bolt for the Big Ten and the Big 12 bring in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.

The Big 12 has 14 teams this season with the debut of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston. They’ll be at 16 in 2024-25 with the addition of the Pac-12’s four corners schools and the exit of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC.

The conference appears content at 16.

“Big 12 has ‘no appetite’ to add any (of the remaining Pac-12 schools Washington State, Oregon State, Cal and Stanford) or San Diego State,” tweeted Action Network college football insider Brett McMurphy, citing a source.

That likely puts Gonzaga and the Big 12 on the back burner, at least for now. Still, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, one of the biggest movers and shakers in realignment, has stated he wants the conference to be represented in all four time zones and that he’s “bullish on basketball.”

The Big 12’s current lineup in 2024-25 will have members in the Mountain, Central and Eastern, but not in the Pacific time zone.

Football drives the realignment bus, to the tune of an estimated 80% or more of the money involved in media-rights agreements. Yormark obviously understands that fact, but he believes basketball could enhance media-rights value.

Yormark has also discussed defending national champion UConn as a possible Big 12 addition.

“I’d like to double down if I can, without compromising football, and making basketball the catalyst for a lot of things we are…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/analysis-gonzaga-keeping-close-eye-035900254.html?src=rss

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2023-08-11 03:59:00

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