CBB Insider Refutes Rumor Gonzaga Could Be Going To Big East

The men’s college basketball season ended on Monday night with a thriller, as Kansas overcame the largest halftime deficit in title game history, coming back from 15 down to beat North Carolina 72–69.

The season ended less than 72 hours ago, but the news cycle never stops in the sport, and that trend continued on Wednesday as social media rumors began to run rampant regarding a potential conference realignment move for Gonzaga. 

The rumors and speculation on social media centered around the school moving to the Big East Conference. Stadium‘s Jeff Goodman refuted the conjecture on Wednesday afternoon.

Gonzaga and Big East rumors. Just bad rumors. Never say never, but not happening anytime soon.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 6, 2022

The Bulldogs currently play in the West Coast Conference (WCC) and have won the league in nine out of the last 10 years. Under Mark Few, Gonzaga has by-and-large dominated the conference, which has led some analysts to question if the Bulldogs should seek conference membership elsewhere to face tougher competition. 

The discussion regarding Gonzaga’s conference schedule has only been further amplified by the school’s rocky NCAA tournament history relative to their regular season and conference tournament records.

The Bulldogs have put some of the criticism to rest by making two Final Fours in the last six years, including two runner-up finishes in the NCAA title game. 

However, too many early exits from the Big Dance—including this year’s Sweet 16 loss to Arkansas—have proved that the national championship is Gonzaga’s white whale.

While a conference realignment move could certainly be in Gonzaga’s future, the Big East never made much sense on the surface given the school’s location in Spokane, Washington relative to most schools in the conference that reside in the northeast.

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Published Apr 7, 2022 | Modified Apr 7, 2022MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.

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