4/15/2023 0 Comments Big 12 conference news![]() ![]() More likely, it’s a realistic response to a conference that is stuck in a perpetual rut. Perhaps this is an overreaction to a rough couple of days for the conference in men’s hoops. When UCLA and USC announced their departures before last season, were you thinking about how the Pac-12 would bounce back and make them regret wanting to part ways? Or were you thinking about how the Huskies or Cougars (or whoever else) better start improving so they can latch on to a major conference should the Pac-12 dissolve? Just think about your schools for a second, and for the majority of you, I assume it’s Washington or Washington State. No doubt Larry Scott was the media’s piñata during much of his tenure as Pac-12 commissioner, but his successor, George Kliavkoff, has yet to offer much reassurance that the conference can rebound under his watch. Some kind of dip was inevitable given that two schools from the country’s second-biggest media market are on their way out, but this would be a massive plunge. And it reeks of evidence that the conference might never again be one of national prestige.Ī Los Angeles Times report this month suggested that there could be a $200 million drop-off for the Pac-12 when it negotiates its next media-rights deal. UMBC five years ago felt like an anomaly, the Pac-12’s disappearance feels like the norm. When Virginia lost as a No 1 seed in the first round in 2018, it won the national title the next season – and that was two years after fellow ACC school North Carolina claimed the title.īut as Virginia’s dud vs. A slain Goliath doesn’t necessarily represent a declining conference. Yes, part of the beauty of March Madness is that you truly never know who can be bounced in a given round. ![]() Folks like to call the Players the “fifth major,” as it’s bigger than any of the “regular” PGA Tour events – but it’s not on par with the actual majors.Īgain, there is one team left from the conference in the men’s tournament – and that team is a Pac-12 short-timer. 2 seed and conference tournament champs.Ĭombine with this the fact that the Pac-12 hasn’t won an NCAA men’s hoops title in 26 years, hasn’t reached the title game since 2006 and hasn’t made the College Football Playoff since 2016, and you have to wonder if this conference really deserves to be called part of the “Power Five.”Īt this point, the Pac-12 is to college sports what The Players Championship is to men’s golf. Three of the four schools (Arizona, USC and Arizona State) that made the tournament were eliminated in the first round, and Arizona was a No. One team (UCLA) from this time zone’s Power Five conference remains in the men’s NCAA Tournament – and the Bruins are headed to the Big Ten in 2024. The hardcore college sports fans’ moods are traditionally dictated by how well their schools perform, not their conferences.īut if there is any sense of Pac-12 pride left, it’s been whittled to the size of an amoeba. SEATTLE – Granted, there aren’t a lot of people walking around with sweatshirts sporting their favorite conference. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |