The Pac-12 as we know it, at least in men's basketball, will end this week with the conference tournament in Las Vegas. Ironically, the conference tournament, or lack thereof, was once one of the things that set the Pac-12 apart from most other leagues. The league did not have a league until 1987, which lasted four seasons before being reinstated in 2002.
After this season, Oregon State, UCLA, USC and Washington State will play in the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah join the Big 12. The University of California and Stanford are scheduled to head to the ACC. The Oregon and Washington State basketball programs are set to perform in the WCC while rebuilding the Pac-12 and intending to maintain control of the two-team conference.
This week we conclude a rich history dating back to the founding of the Pacific Coast Conference in 1915. This history spans 109 years and includes 15 national championships and some of the greatest players and coaches in the history of the sport.
ESPN's Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello and John Gassaway talk about the biggest people and moments in conference history, the Pac-12's legacy and what's next.
What is the Pac-12's place in sports history?
Jeff Borzello: No discussion of the best in college basketball history, or even the history of the sport, can happen without including the Pac-12. Or, more specifically, UCLA. UCLA is the program with the most national championships. The Bruins also own the longest dynasty in history, winning seven consecutive National Championships and reaching the Final Four 10 times in a row. John Wooden is the greatest college basketball coach of all time. Lou Alcindor is perhaps the greatest college player in history, and Bill Walton is not far behind. As a result, the Pac-12 will always be a consistent theme in the history of the sport.
John Gasaway: The NCAA should thank the Pac-12, especially UCLA, every year. The Wooden dynasty established the NCAA Tournament as the event that awards a true national championship. The NCAA Tournament still competed with the NIT for the title until the Bruins won their first title in 1964. Even during the Bruins' breakthrough, Al McGuire and Marquette turned down the NCAA and instead played in the 1970 NIT. But by the time Wooden retired in 1975, there was no question in anyone's mind. Pac-12 programs (back then he was a Pac-8) created his current March madness.
Myron Medcalf: Yes, the Pac-12's legacy revolves around these great UCLA teams. But Wooden and many UCLA players had an impact beyond basketball. In 1947, Wooden, while head coach at Indiana State University, refused an invitation to the NAIA Tournament because tournament officials would not allow Clarence Walker, the team's only black player, to participate. Years later, when Wooden was on UCLA's team, proving to a group of prominent black players that they could be leaders while being themselves, he took a certain stance. Lou Alcindor's appearance at a meeting with Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and other civil rights activists sent a strong message that UCLA players can use their platform to advocate for change. . Wood fielded the best team in America for over a decade. As some of his classmates resisted integration, he not only won with black players, but also humiliated other schools that refused to do the same.
Although the league hasn't won a national title since 1997, it has produced many great teams over the past 27 years. Which one will come out on top?
Medcalf: Many impressive teams have emerged since the 1996-97 Arizona team. Stanford won 31 games in 2000-01 with Casey Jacobsen and the Collins twins (Jason and Jaron). And consider that UCLA, which featured future NBA All-Stars Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook, won 35 games and reached the Final Four during the 2007-08 season. Sean Miller has had some great teams in Arizona, including teams that made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2013-14 and 2014-15, winning a combined 67 games. And while it's easy to forget the 2016-17 Oregon team that lost standout Chris Boucher late in the season, it still had a chance to upset eventual champion North Carolina in the Final Four.
But the greatest team the league has produced since 1997 was an Arizona team that tried to win the title again a year later. Michael Dickerson, Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, Jason Terry, and AJ Bramlett all returned for the 1997-98 season after leading the Wildcats to a championship. That team won his Pac-10 Championship, but lost in a lopsided game to Utah in the Elite Eight. Still, the Wildcats won 30 games and had a legitimate shot at back-to-back national titles.
Gasaway: I'm jumping on this “Arizona team from a million years ago” bandwagon. Sorry to the UCLA dynasty of Westbrook and Love, but the vote here goes to Arizona in 2000-2001. Now, this was a team of Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Michael Wright, Jason Gardner, Lauren Woods, and Luke Walton. Don't worry about losing eight games. Lute Olson's wife Bobby died in January of that year, and the coach was sidelined for five games. Had KenPom existed in 2001, the second-seeded Wildcats would have been the favorites to take on Bill Self and top-seeded Illinois in the Elite Eight. Arizona reached the title game before losing to Duke.
Make some bold predictions about what's going to happen from the Pac-12 in the coming weeks leading up to the national championship.
Borzero: That's not to say they'll end the Pac-12's national championship drought, but it does mean the Wildcats will bring the league to the Final Four for the third time since 2008 and Arizona State's first since 2001. think. Despite having a lot of games this season, I love the balance and versatility of their offense, and the additions of Caleb Love and Keshad Johnson provide a much-needed boost in the toughness department. Additionally, they will likely play their Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Los Angeles, which should be an advantage for fans there.
Gasaway: Please write it down. Washington State reached the Elite 8 for the first time since his 1941. This will be a first for the Cougars. In 1941, you reached The Elite Eight can be won through bidding. There were eight teams across the field. (That March headline: “Fans Hate Expansion Proposal: Going to 16 Waters Under Field!”) Buoyed by the resulting buzz, the Cougs will debut in 2026, and Oregon will debut in 2026. Carrying over the Pac-12 name to the new conference with State University. The non-coastal West will make a fuss, much like Dave Gavitt did for the East in 1979. You said you were bold, right?
Medcalf: Any team other than the three teams listed in Lunardi's brackets (Arizona, Washington State, Colorado) will earn a bid by winning the Pac-12 Tournament title. Isaiah Collier once again looks like a lottery pick in the NBA Draft, and USC has won four of its past five games. Can the Trojans have a shot at the league tournament title? This is about as bold as I can get because I can't imagine a scenario where the league ends its NCAA Tournament drought with another title.
How will the newly arrived Pac-12 teams impact the new league next season? Will we see a team in 2025 doing what Houston did in 2024?
Gasaway: On the other hand, it's unlikely Pac-12 exports will be the same as Houston's this season until 2025. Arizona State has his best finish in five years in his KenPom rankings in the departure lounge, and the Wildcats will play Houston next season. But let's look at this glass half full of water. Big Ten gets great big contracts. We're going to wait a long time until UCLA, USC, and Oregon State fall as low as they are now. Washington State and Oregon State statistically favor the WCC. Don't be discouraged, ACC: Mark Madsen has Cal on the right track.
Borzero: I think it's a stretch to think that the current Pac-12 teams will do that in their new home next season, as Houston is going to enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed and the favorite to cut the net (Arizona has best shot). But I agree that while the best conference in college basketball will be even better with the addition of Arizona, the Big 12 will be even stronger with new schools. One thing to note: If Washington State is able to keep Kyle Smith — which is a big assumption, but may not be likely — the Cougars will be in line for Gonzaga from day one in the WCC. and could push St. Mary's.
