re: Sources: Gonzaga in talks with Big 12 about joining conference

This is a bad move IMO..for both parties! Here's why, as soon as the B1G expands again and adds Oregon and Washington, the Big 12 will then add Arizona, Arizona St, Utah and Colorado. Gonzaga should wait patiently for the inevitable PAC/MWC merger and go there.

Gonzaga*
Washington St
Oregon St
Cal
Stanford
Boise St
Colorado St
Nevada
San Diego St
UNLV
Wyoming

*No football

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There's no big money in basketball and Gonzaga caught lighting in a bottle. DePaul used to be a power. St. John's used to be a power, Seton Hall used to be a power. Hell even Georgetown used to be a power.

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You're not wrong. If you're not Kansas, Kentucky, UNC, Duke, etc. basketball is not a consistent money maker. Most programs run in the red. Hell, even LSU, a program from a major conference, barely made a profit in basketball in the 2018-2019 fiscal year (the last full fiscal year prior to COVID). Seems like targeting Gonzaga is short-sighted and only seeing the now and not really valuating their prospective worth for the long-term. What happens when Mark Few retires? They have basically no history outside his tenure, and honestly their history for most of his tenure was 1st and 2nd round exits in the NCAAT until the last ~5-7 years. I just don't know how much of a draw they really are to justify inviting them to a major conference. They're certainly a draw when they're one of the best teams in the country, but are they a draw when they're not? And how valuable is the Spokane, WA market worth?

And I know we've long since jumped the shark with conferences and geographic logistics, but The closest Big 12 team to Gonzaga is Kansas St 1500 miles away and I guess considering future members it will be BYU almost 800 miles away.

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They've been a 1 seed in the NCAAT 5 of the last 6 years, so it hasn't hurt them either. They schedule a lot of good OOC games so it balances out for them

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That's not what I meant. Should have clarified. I am a firm believer in the saying "iron sharpens iron". Gonzaga goes months at a time without being challenged or facing even slight adversity. I don't believe they handle tight situations well in tournament games and I believe this is a big reason why.

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A small commuter school with no real campus that doesn't play football. But the Big12 is like hey! They're hot in basketball right now.

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WTF are you talking about. Gonzaga has an awesome campus and most people who attend live on campus.

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Gonzaga goes months at a time without being challenged or facing even slight adversity.

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Do they not get everyone’s best shot?

That is interesting since they don't play football.That sure would be some long travel.