Killed by greed and mismanagement in the summertime of 2023, the Pac-12 has risen and rebuilt itself.
Set to launch on July 1, 2026, the brand new Pac-12 will characteristic simply two groups from its final model, the left-behinds in Oregon State and Washington State. Becoming a member of the Beavers and Cougars to bolster this convention are soon-to-be-former Mountain West members Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Utah State. Gonzaga brings its storied historical past in basketball, coming over from the West Coast Convention because the lone non-football member, whereas Texas State rounds out the nine-team league as its easternmost member.
Across the similar time the Pac-12 introduced the addition of Texas State from the Solar Belt, it unveiled that CBS will probably be its anchor companion of a brand new TV deal via 2031. Faculty sports activities followers will probably be seeing these 9 colleges a complete lot on CBS, CBS Sports activities Community and Paramount+.
Since launching, the Pac-12’s social media arm has been busy touting its successes in males’s basketball and soccer. And certainly, they now have signature manufacturers in each. Boise State is coming off a Faculty Soccer Playoff look and Gonzaga has been to a pair of Closing Fours and two Elite Eights prior to now decade. Seven of the brand new Pac-12’s 9 groups have made a minimum of one males’s NCAA Match since 2021.
However what about ladies’s basketball? How good of a league can the brand new Pac-12 be in that sport?
It depends upon how one views the brand new Pac-12. If you happen to’re anticipating this league to return to its outdated kind the place it was competing for nationwide championships and placing greater than half its membership within the NCAA Match yearly, you’ll probably be disenchanted. This new model of the Pac-12 merely doesn’t have the identical depth of gifted groups that the outdated one did.
Nevertheless, should you’re a bit extra clear-eyed but in addition optimistic, carrying the assumption that this could possibly be among the many greatest mid-major conferences within the sport and be a multi-bid convention most seasons, I feel your expectations will probably be met.
Among the many 9 groups on this convention, there’s a transparent high, center and backside in ladies’s basketball.
Let’s begin on the backside with Fresno State, Texas State and Utah State. These are the one three groups within the new Pac-12 that haven’t appeared in an NCAA Match prior to now decade.
If there’s a staff to be optimistic about, it’s in all probability Fresno State, this system that gave us the Cavinder Twins and has produced two seasons of 20 wins or extra prior to now decade. The Bulldogs, following the retirement of Jaime White, simply employed a brand new head coach in Ryan McCarthy. He involves Fresno after 13 seasons at Division II Alaska Anchorage, the place he had an 82.2 win share, produced six All-People and took his staff to the nationwide championship sport. If he can flip issues round at Fresno, it’ll elevate the ground of this league.
Utah State has endured six consecutive shedding seasons and has by no means been to the NCAA Match. Wesley Brooks — who has labored underneath Kevin McGuff, Kim Barnes Arico and Lynne Roberts — is about to enter his second season there. Of the 9 groups within the new Pac-12, Utah State is the one one to by no means end a season prior to now 10 years with a HerHoopStats ranking higher than 10.0. For reference, 91 groups had HHS scores of 10 or higher this season, together with Gonzaga which has had a ranking north of that for 10 consecutive seasons.
Texas State is in considerably of an analogous boat, because it hasn’t been dancing in March Insanity since 2002. Zenarae Antoine is coming into her fifteenth season on the helm of the Bobcats with a win share of fifty.1. If she makes it to her sixteenth season, it’ll be the fourth totally different convention she’s coached Texas State in. The Bobcats have received two division titles underneath her watch and had been common season champs of the Solar Belt in 2023.
Now to the center, which brings us to Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State. Every of those colleges have had some type of various levels of constant success over the previous decade.
Colorado State, for instance, has one NCAA Match look, 4 WNIT journeys, and 7 seasons of 20 wins or extra — together with the final 4 — because the 2015-16 season underneath Ryun Williams. They’ve been a constant decent-to-good mid-major staff.
The identical could possibly be mentioned for Boise State, although the Broncos have leveled out a bit since profitable 4 straight Mountain West titles from 2017 via 2020. They’ve loved three consecutive profitable seasons although and returned to the WNIT this previous 12 months. Within the final decade, Boise State additionally has 5 wins over Energy 4 opponents — the many of the center and decrease class groups within the new Pac-12.
San Diego State is trending upward underneath Stacie Terry-Hutson, who simply coached the Aztecs to the NCAA Match for the primary time since 2012. They’ve loved three consecutive seasons of 20 or extra wins and simply added three gamers within the switch portal who ought to assist them this season.
Right here’s the higher class of the league, which options three groups who’ve loved nationwide success in ladies’s basketball within the final decade: Oregon State, Washington State and Gonzaga.
The Beavers are the lone staff on this league with a Closing 4 look underneath their belt, going there in 2016. Since then underneath Scott Rueck, they’ve gone to 2 extra Elite Eights. Even whereas taking part in within the West Coast Convention this previous 12 months — after being decimated with switch portal departures — the Beavers nonetheless went to the NCAA Match, marking their seventh journey to March Insanity prior to now decade.
“Those that have been paying consideration know the story and know the way important it’s,” Rueck mentioned in Chapel Hill in March after the Beavers misplaced to North Carolina within the first spherical of the NCAA Match. “I couldn’t be happier for what we’ve achieved, extra proud, and it’s simply been an absolute pleasure… Oregon State goes to be Oregon State. We’re going to be a staff that takes care of you and is aggressive each evening and makes professionals. That received’t change. So I feel everyone simply has proof now in the event that they had been questioning beforehand.”
Within the offseason, the Beavers misplaced zero gamers to the portal whereas gaining two.
Of the 9 groups within the new Pac-12, Oregon State has probably the most wins over AP-ranked opponents prior to now 10 years with 43. Having produced stars of the game like Sydney Weise, Mikayla Pivec and Raegen Beers, Oregon State enters the brand new Pac-12 as its marquee model in ladies’s basketball.
However Gonzaga is true there with the Beavers with seven NCAA Match journeys prior to now 10 years, 20 wins over Energy 4 groups and eight wins over ranked opponents. The Zags have received 20 or extra video games in 9 of the previous 10 seasons and went to the Candy 16 in 2024. With Lisa Fortier on the helm, they’ve dominated the West Coast Convention — profitable eight of the final 9 common season convention championships — and established themselves as a real mid-major energy.
The opposite staff to say right here is Washington State, which went to 3 straight NCAA Tournaments between 2021 and 2023 and received a Pac-12 title. Kamie Ethridge’s squads have received greater than 20 video games in every of the previous two seasons, however missed March Insanity. Nonetheless, over the previous 10 years, Washington State has 14 wins over ranked opponents. Ethridge, a former Wade Trophy winner and nationwide champion at Texas, will hold Wazzu aggressive it doesn’t matter what convention they’re in.
When the brand new Pac-12 begins play within the 2026-27 season, it’s not inconceivable to see it as a three-bid league for the NCAA Match. The Ivy League simply pulled that off this season, and the A-10 acquired two groups in. It should require signature manufacturers like Oregon State, Washington State and Gonzaga taking part in at their absolute best and profitable some robust out-of-conference video games to spice up their NET scores. And if the opposite six groups within the league can elevate their play and beat some good groups within the non-conference portion of the season, that may solely assist.
