Wait. Is the Pac-12 basketball tournament even a thing right now?
If you've been looking at your calendar for March 2026 and wondering why the usual Las Vegas madness feels... empty, you aren't crazy. The "Conference of Champions" basically hit a brick wall, shattered into pieces, and is currently in the middle of a massive, messy DIY reconstruction project.
Honestly, the state of the Pac-12 right now is kinda like a house that’s been stripped to the studs. You can see where the kitchen used to be, and you know there’s a plan for a new living room, but you can't exactly host a dinner party in it yet.
For the 2025-26 season—the one we are in right now—there is no traditional Pac-12 basketball tournament. Oregon State and Washington State are the only ones left in the room. They’re the "Pac-2." You can't really have a conference tournament with two teams unless you want it to be a one-game series that lasts forty minutes and ends with everyone feeling a bit awkward.
Where did the tournament go?
The short answer? Realignment nuked it.
When USC and UCLA decided to head for the Big Ten, it started a domino effect that effectively killed the 108-year-old league as we knew it. Arizona, ASU, Colorado, and Utah took off for the Big 12. Oregon and Washington followed the LA schools to the Big Ten. Cal and Stanford? They’re playing in the ACC now, which still sounds like a typo every time you see it on a broadcast.
Because there aren't enough teams to fill a bracket, Oregon State and Washington State have been playing as "affiliate members" of the West Coast Conference (WCC) for basketball.
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So, if you want to see the Beavs or the Cougs play in a tournament this March, you’ve gotta look at the WCC Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. It’s a weird vibe for fans used to the bright lights of T-Mobile Arena, but that's the reality of the 2025-26 gap year.
The 2027 Resurrection (It’s getting weird)
But don't bury the Pac-12 just yet.
The conference is officially coming back in July 2026. They’ve spent the last year poaching the Mountain West and grabbing a legendary basketball powerhouse to make sure the "new" league actually has some teeth.
Starting with the 2026-27 season, the Pac-12 basketball tournament will return with a completely different lineup. It won't be the classic "Pacific Coast" feel, but from a basketball standpoint, it’s actually going to be a nightmare to play in.
Here is who is moving into the neighborhood:
- Gonzaga: The biggest "get" in the history of mid-major poaching. The Zags bring immediate Top-10 credibility.
- San Diego State: A recent national finalist. They are the defensive anchors of this new group.
- Boise State: Always scrappy, always a tough out.
- Colorado State: High-octane offense that travels well.
- Utah State: A program that seems to find a way into the Big Dance almost every year.
- Fresno State: Bringing that Central Valley toughness.
- Texas State: The newest addition to the mix to expand the footprint into the Lone Star State.
Basically, the new Pac-12 is going to be a "Best of the Rest" super-conference. Commissioner Teresa Gould has been aggressive. She had to be. Without these moves, the Pac-12 brand was dead. Now? It’s arguably the best basketball league outside of the Power 4.
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Why the "Gap Year" matters for your bracket
The reason people are still searching for the Pac-12 basketball tournament in 2026 is that the branding is still everywhere. But for this specific season, Oregon State and Washington State are basically "independent" teams living in the WCC's basement.
They don't get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament through the Pac-12. If they win the WCC tournament, they still don't get the "Pac-12" bid. It’s all very confusing.
The Pac-12 currently operates under a two-year NCAA grace period. They have until the summer of 2026 to get back to eight members. They’ve done that. They actually have nine. But until that clock strikes midnight on July 1, 2026, the league is a ghost.
What to expect from the New Pac-12 Tournament
When the tournament finally returns in 2027, expect it to stay in Las Vegas.
Vegas is the heart of West Coast hoops. The conference already has a media deal with CBS Sports and The CW that runs through 2031. They are betting big on the idea that people want to see Gonzaga play San Diego State on a Saturday night in March for a trophy.
The format is already being whispered about. Jon Rothstein reported that the league will likely play a 16-game, true double round-robin schedule during the regular season. This is a massive shift. Most big leagues play 18 or 20 games, which leaves no room for non-conference play. The Pac-12 is going the other way. They want their teams to play 16 non-conference games.
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Why? To juice the NET rankings.
If Gonzaga and SDSU can spend November and December beating up on high-major teams, their ranking stays high. Then, they play a smaller conference schedule, which protects those rankings. It's a calculated, "moneyball" approach to college basketball.
The Identity Crisis
There is a segment of fans—mostly the old-school UCLA and Arizona crowd—who think this new version is a "zombie league."
They aren't entirely wrong. It’s weird to have a Pac-12 without a single school from the state of California (wait, Fresno and SDSU are there) or the "traditional" powerhouses. But "Power" is a relative term in the NIL era.
If you look at the stats, the new Pac-12 lineup actually had a better collective NET ranking over the last three years than the old Pac-12 did. Gonzaga and San Diego State carry more weight in the modern era than a struggling Cal or a middling Arizona State.
The tournament might look different, and the jerseys might be unfamiliar to casual fans, but the level of play is going to be absurdly high. You’ve got coaches like Brian Dutcher and whoever is leading the charge at Gonzaga (Mark Few isn't going anywhere) going head-to-head. That’s good TV.
Actionable Steps for the 2026 Season
If you are a fan trying to follow the remains of the league this year, here is what you actually need to do:
- Watch the WCC Tournament: This is where Oregon State and Washington State will be competing for a postseason life. It usually happens in early March.
- Follow the Mountain West: Since five of the "New Pac-12" teams are still in the Mountain West for the 2025-26 season, that tournament is essentially a preview of your future Saturdays.
- Check the CW and CBS Sports Network: These are the primary homes for the "bridge" broadcasts while the league prepares for the full 2027 relaunch.
- Keep an eye on the 16-game schedule news: If the double round-robin format is officially finalized, it will change how these teams recruit. They’ll need deeper benches to handle a higher volume of non-conference travel.
The Pac-12 basketball tournament as we knew it is gone. The Bill Walton era of "Conference of Champions" hyperbole has faded. But what’s replacing it is a gritty, basketball-centric league that might actually be more competitive from top to bottom. It's not a funeral; it’s a rebrand.