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Gonzaga head coach Mark Few yells from the sideline during the first half of a Sweet 16 college basketball game against Purdue in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Detroit. | Duane Burleson
With an announcement Tuesday, the national perspective on the Pac-12, the burgeoning new/old conference that it is, shifted.
Dramatically for some, less so for others.
With Gonzaga officially joining the league, beginning in 2026, the Pac-12 will become — to many — a force to be reckoned with in men’s college basketball.
“From a college basketball perspective, the additions of some of the top programs from the Mountain West — considered the most exciting mid-major league in the sport last season — gives the Pac-12 a launching board to rebuild. The addition of Gonzaga is even more notable based on the success the program has had over the last two decades,” wrote CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno.
He wasn’t the only one.
“And one thing about the new-world Pac-12 is now clear — it is building a college basketball powerhouse,” wrote John Canzano.
There’s also this from Jon Wilner of The Mercury News.
“… Gonzaga’s looming arrival — the Zags will begin competition in 2026-27 — dramatically changes the perception of the reconstituted Pac-12,” he writes. “During an era in which conference strength is based on the value of its brands, the Pac-12 landed the biggest basketball brand available during its current expansion phase.”
Or this from CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish.
“Gonzaga is leaving the WCC and moving to the Pac-12, as Brett McMurphy reported last week. Huge get for the remade conference. The Pac-12 will now have two programs — Gonzaga/San Diego State — that have played in two of the past four title games of the NCAA Tournament.”
Others were less enthusiastic though. Not because Gonzaga isn’t a powerhouse basketball school, but more so because they remain of the belief that the Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences should have merged, rather…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gonzaga-pac-12-elite-basketball-004138397.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-10-02 00:41:38
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