Gonzaga Would Face 'Tremendous Awakening' If It Joined Big 12, Bob Huggins Says

Gonzaga is reportedly considering a move to the Big 12 amid the continued realignment in college sports, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. But West Virginia men's basketball coach Bob Huggins thinks the Bulldogs might be surprised by the strength of its new conference.

"I would think it would be a tremendous awakening for Gonzaga [to join the Big 12]," he told reporters Thursday.

Gonzaga has completely dominated the West Coast Conference since Mark Few took over as the head coach in the 1999-00 season, either winning or sharing the regular-season title in every season but 1999-00 and 2011-12. They've also won 18 conference tournament titles in that time.

But the Bulldogs have also fared well in the NCAA tournament, reaching two championship games, though a national title has eluded them.

And they've acquitted themselves well in non-conference games, with a 39-12 record against schools from the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, Big East, ACC and SEC dating back to 2017. A Sweet 16 loss to Arkansas was Gonzaga's last result against such a school.

So when they've danced with the big boys, they've generally fared well.

But there's little doubt the Big-12 would be a major step up in competition compared to the WCC. The past two national champions, Baylor and Kansas, hail from the Big-12. Five teams from the conference—Nos. 5 Kansas and Baylor, No. 12 Texas, No. 14 TCU and No. 25 Texas Tech—are all opening the season as top-25 teams in the Associated Press poll.

While Texas and Oklahoma are departing for the SEC in 2025, Houston—which starts the year ranked No. 3—will join the conference next season.

"To get in this league and play who we play day-after-day, I would think it would be a tremendous awakening," Huggins said of Gonzaga's potential defection to the conference. "You don't get to make your own schedule in the Big 12."