Report: Gonzaga In Talks to Join Big 12

The conference continues to explore new avenues for expansion.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Nov 2, 2022 5:26 PM EDT

CINCINNATI — Big 12 basketball might just get even more difficult in the coming seasons. According to Pete Thamel, longtime national power Gonzaga is in talks to join the league.

"Gonzaga's athletic director met in person with the Big 12 commissioner last week as part of broader discussions about the Zags joining the Big 12," Thamel wrote. "The discussions are part of the possibility of a seismic move of the basketball powerhouse leaving the West Coast Conference to a power conference."

Gonzaga has been a consistent force in the WCC and a mainstay in the national consciousness ever since Mark Few got rolling there in the mid-1990s. They've been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five years, making it to the 2017 and 2021 National Title games.

The Zags would join a conference that didn't have a single team finish outside the top 70 in KenPom last season, has won the last two national titles (including Baylor over Gonzaga in 2021) and is already adding three strong programs in UC, Houston, and BYU.

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