Pac-12 women’s basketball seemed deeper than ever six months ago with an unexpected conference tournament champion and plenty of upsets throughout the season. But this summer the conference collapsed and there are now more questions than answers for all the teams involved.
A year ago, UCLA and USC announced they were leaving for the Big Ten in 2024, which was just the beginning of the chaotic conference realignment taking place this summer.
Oregon and Washington decided to follow them to the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joined the Big 12. In the latest development, the Atlantic Coast Conference officially welcomed Cal and Stanford – as well as the SMU from the AAC. So now only Oregon State and Washington State remain in the Pac-12.
It’s no secret that the conference realignment was more about football and TV deals than anything else but women’s basketball, like other sports, will be greatly affected.
Even with UCLA and USC leaving, the Pac-12 seemed like it was going to be just fine. It’s only been two years since the NCAA Tournament saw two Pac-12 schools meet in the championship game as Stanford took the 2021 national title against Arizona. The quality of…
