The offseason is definitely not the slow season as yet another week delivered news impacting both the Pac-12 legacy schools and other universities across the region.<\/p>\n
Here are three developments you might have missed.<\/p>\n
1. NCAA nears decision on tournament expansion<\/p>\n
Nitty gritty: The NCAA is expected to determine in the coming weeks whether to expand March Madness, according to ESPN<\/a>, with both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s events potentially growing to either 72 or 76 teams for the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n Why it matters: The tournament is a national treasure that generates revenue for every school in Division I and delights fans in every state. The men\u2019s version hasn\u2019t changed an iota since the First Four was added in 2011 and hasn\u2019t changed in any material way since growing to 64 teams (from 53) four decades ago.<\/p>\n There is no public swell of support for expansion. Only the folks in charge, it seems, want to mess with a good thing.<\/p>\n To that end, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould joined her peers on the pro-expansion bus:<\/p>\n In March, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark indicated<\/a>\u00a0he was \u201cin favor of expansion to 76. I think that\u2019s the right number.\u201d<\/p>\n In May, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, arguably the most influential person in college sports, suggested he would support expansion<\/a>: \u201cIf it works, from a presentation standpoint, if it works from a financial standpoint and it works from the teams involved standpoint, my interest is high.\u201d<\/p>\n And earlier this week, Gould added her voice to the chorus.<\/p>\n \u201cI am 100 percent supportive (of expansion),\u201d Gould told the Hotline. \u201cThe devil\u2019s in the details. What does the bracket look like? When and where do you play the games? What\u2019s the impact on conference tournaments? But assuming it\u2019s fiscally responsible, I\u2019m always in favor of more postseason access for the student-athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n The comments all came with essentially the same caveat: The money needs to be right.<\/p>\n In other words, expansion hinges on more cash from the tournament\u2019s broadcast partners, CBS and Turner. Currently, each game played (except the championship) is worth about $350,000 to the participating teams\u2019 conferences, paid out annually for six years. The commissioners don\u2019t want the unit value to decrease with the additional teams, so the networks need to ante up.<\/p>\n Gould suggested the NCAA would not have waded this deep into the negotiations unless it had good reason to believe an agreement was within reach.<\/p>\n If that\u2019s the case, March Madness is on the brink of expansion \u2014 whether we want it or not.<\/p>\n 2. NBA Draft comes, goes, barely registers<\/p>\n Nitty gritty: It was not a productive draft for the Pac-12 legacy schools, with only two players, Washington State\u2019s Cedric Coward and Arizona\u2019s Carter Bryant, selected in the first round.<\/p>\n Why it matters: It\u2019s not the worst performance in recent memory from the collection of 12 basketball programs, but it\u2019s close. In both 2010 and 2023, the Pac-12 produced a single first-round pick, and they mustered just two selections a few times. But typically, the conference sent three or four players into the first round.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, the legacy schools produced only one second-round pick this week, Stanford\u2019s Maxime Raynaud.<\/p>\n That\u2019s it folks: 12 schools, 59 total draft slots over two rounds \u2014 and only three selections.<\/p>\n To a certain extent, it doesn\u2019t matter. The schools are scattered across four conferences, three of which are based on the other side of the country.<\/p>\n But the paucity of high-level talent across those 12 programs reflects the second-rate state of college basketball in the West. Only one Pac-12 legacy school, Arizona, reached the Sweet 16, this spring. (That was the case in 2024, as well.)<\/p>\n Yes, Brigham Young had a terrific season; Gonzaga remains highly relevant on the national scene; and San Diego State has performed well in March over the years.<\/p>\n But the Pac-12 legacy schools, which play a vital role in the quality of play across the region, are struggling. USC, UCLA and Oregon have regressed. Washington has been bad for years. The Bay Area schools are irrelevant. Colorado and Arizona State offer little more than an occasional flash.<\/p>\n The Pac-12 wasn\u2019t a very good basketball league in the final years of its previous existence, realignment didn\u2019t spark newfound success and, for that reason, the sport is worse off along the West Coast.<\/p>\n 3. Pac-12 offers membership to Texas State<\/p>\n Nitty gritty: The conference extended an invitation to Texas State on Thursday<\/a> and expects the Bobcats to accept on Monday, following a meeting of the university\u2019s governing board.<\/p>\n Why it matters: To reach certification requirements, the rebuilt Pac-12 needed an eighth all-sports member before it officially comes online next July.<\/p>\n That critical threshold has been met with the Bobcats (assuming they accept) joining newcomers Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State, plus Gonzaga, which doesn\u2019t play football.<\/p>\n The development allows the Pac-12 to begin piecing together an operational plan for the 2026-27 competition season. Atop the to-do list: Create a football schedule and determine whether the conference will stage a championship game.<\/p>\n (The Pac-12 must complete its media rights negotiations, as well. On Monday, it announced CBS will become the primary partner<\/a> starting in 2026. But at least one, and perhaps three more networks could purchase rights to the remaining inventory.)<\/p>\n Yes, sure: Commissioner Teresa Gould could engage in further football expansion. But our hunch is that she pumps the brakes and moves forward with eight.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t an obvious, easy option.<\/p>\n UTSA, North Texas, UNLV, Memphis \u2014 they all carry legal, logistical or financial complications.<\/p>\n Also, UNLV already rebuffed the Pac-12\u2019s overtures last fall. (A gigantic mistake on the Rebels\u2019 part, in our estimation.)<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean the Pac-12 is finished with its reboot, however. The Hotline views an eventual basketball-only addition as a reasonable possibility.<\/p>\n *** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com<\/a> or call 408-920-5716<\/p>\n *** Follow me on the social media platform X: @WilnerHotline<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t