The Pac-12 is adding Gonzaga as a member in all sports the school plays starting in July 2026, the conference announced Tuesday.
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Gonzaga brings a rich basketball tradition to the refurbished Pac-12, as the Zags have reached the Round of 16 of the NCAA tournament nine consecutive times.
According to ESPN sources, talks intensified over the past three days. Gonzaga brings strong media value to the league from a basketball perspective, as it’s one of the sport’s top brands and most consistent winners.
Gonzaga is the overhauled Pac-12’s eighth member, but it does not count as the league’s eighth full-time member, as the school doesn’t have football. The Pac-12 still needs to add another member to reach minimum conference thresholds.
Gonzaga brings the league one of the most powerful basketball programs, as the Bulldogs have reached every NCAA tournament that’s been played since 1999 — a streak of 25 straight years.
Gonzaga has one of the country’s most respected coaches in Mark Few, who has been at the school since 2000, a run that includes a pair of Final Fours.
Gonzaga will join San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State, Fresno State, Boise State, Washington State and Oregon State for a strong regional basketball league.
The Pac-12 must add another full member that includes football, and it faces a crossroads of gauging the current league — plus an unknown member — in the market or hunkering down and soon getting one more member.
The Pac-12 has also had preliminary discussions with Grand Canyon and Saint Mary’s, both of which participated in in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament last year, but the conference is expected to remain focused on adding another football-playing school before shifting its attention back to basketball.
Gonzaga has been a member of the WCC since the 1989-90 season, and the departure is a significant blow to that league.
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