Could Gonzaga Basketball Join Baylor Bears in Big 12 Conference?
The Baylor Bears are already a top contender in arguably the toughest conference in the country for college basketball in the Big 12.
But according to ESPN, it could be on the cusp of becoming even harder, with the Gonzaga Bulldogs reportedly in talks to join the conference in the coming years.
The news comes in the wake of Big 12 commissioner Brett Yorkmark recently declaring the conference as 'open for business' following Texas and Oklahoma's recent declaration to join the SEC in 2025.
According to the report, Yorkmark recently had a meeting with Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford a Hyatt Hotel in Frisco, Texas, during a recent team trip to scrimmage Tennessee for the Bulldogs.
Should the Zags and their stellar basketball program in fact join the Big 12, it would not only immediately make the conference the unquestioned leader in terms of college basketball supremacy over the other Power 5 conferences, but also help replace the impending exits of the Longhorns and Sooners in the sport.
Unfortunately for the conference, the Zags do not have a football program at the current time, which could throw a wrench into the deal.
As it stands, none of the other Power conferences - the SEC, Pac 12, Big 10 and ACC - currently hold a team in their respective conferences without a football program.
With that said, if the Big 12 is able to add a national draw such as the Zags, which has been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament four times in the last five years, and has been to two national title games (2017 and 2021) to its portfolio, it could conceivably cause a shift from that precedent.
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Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com