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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 01: A detail of the Pac-12 logo prior to the Pac-12 Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Washington Huskies at Allegiant Stadium on December 01, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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The Pac-12 is officially back!
After operating with just two programs for the last two seasons, the Pac-12 is back in full swing, introducing seven new members to the league, including five programs — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and San Diego State — heading into the 2026-27 academic calendar.
From a basketball perspective, specifically, the other four — Gonzaga, Oregon State, Texas State and Washington State — round out what is expected to be a hyper-competitive group. You could argue this revamped league should be embraced as a fifth “power conference,” especially with how dominant the likes of Gonzaga, San Diego State and Utah State have been over the last two-plus decades.
What comes with a new conference is a new conference tournament. How will it be structured? Let’s examine!
The format:
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This tournament will take place over a five-day period, beginning on March 9, 2027, and spanning through March 13, where a winner will be decided.
The No. 9 seed will open against the No. 8 seed, followed by the No. 7 playing the 6 the next day. Each of the top-5 teams will receive byes, especially the No. 1 and 2 seeds, which will only have to play a maximum of two games. Comparatively, for a mini miracle, the Nos. 8 or 9 seeds would have to play five in five days in order to clinch an NCAA Tournament.
Who does this incentivize?:
Apropos to the West Coast conference, Sun Belt and American Athletic Conference, among several others, there’s a clear benefit for performing well in conference play during the regular season.
It’s essentially a stepladder format. The WCC was the pioneers of this incredibly unique format in the early 2000s, and the rest of the country followed suit. Gonzaga and St. Mary’s were consistently among the best teams in the conference, and there was an inherent benefit for both, especially because of how much money each made the WCC by being perennial NCAA Tournament teams.
Comparatively to the Mountain West Tournament, whose format is closer to a normal single elimination structure, there’s far less parity once the tournament actually begins. As Jon Rothstein famously says, “It. Is. March,” … anything is possible at any given moment!
While the Pac-12’s new structure rightfully benefits those who play well, it does minimize odds of a fun cinderella story, which is what March is all about for us fans. All in all, it’s completely understandable why that’s the case. At the end of the day, the top of this conference — whether it’s SDSU, Gonzaga, Utah State, Boise State or someone else — has the potential to change each year. It’s that good.
So instead of game-by-game parity in this tournament, we’ll possibly see more of it year-by-year!
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