Cancel that bulk order of beet juice.
The San Diego State University basketball team regularly drinks the nitrate-rich beverage in the days before high-altitude games because they believe it improves muscle oxygenation, which becomes more difficult for athletes training at sea level in the Rocky Mountains. And in the Mountain West, there are six schools above 4,500 feet and two (Air Force and Wyoming) above 7,000 feet.
So SDSU’s move to a reformed Pac-12 beginning in 2026-27 could mean more television revenue from football … and fewer trips up the mountain for its flagship basketball program.
Currently, only one of the six Pac-12 members – Colorado State at 5,025 feet – is at an elevation considered problematic. The other five Mountain West high-altitude schools have so far been left behind.
“Those are tough places to play at altitude – Albuquerque, Air Force, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah State,” said Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher. “Everyone knows my attitude towards altitude: It’s tough to play at altitude.”
There are other benefits. It likely means there won’t be a 20-game conference schedule with a nine- or 10-team league, which the 11-team Mountain West adopted for the upcoming season after years of opposition from SDSU to have more flexibility in building an NCAA Tournament record.
“Football is the most important thing when it comes to revenue, television and all that,” SDSU athletic director John David Wicker said. “But our men’s basketball program has been as successful as almost any in the country over the last 10, 15 years. It was important to make sure they were in a place where they could be successful on an ongoing basis.”
“I think basketball is going to improve a little bit.”
The current Six-Pac is statistically better than the current Mountain West and is expected to improve with expansion. NCAA rules require the reconfigured Pac-12 to have at least eight football-playing members by 2026-27.
Sources say the goal is nine games for football to accommodate an eight-game conference schedule. A strong candidate is Memphis, which is consistently one of the best mid-major men’s basketball teams and drew an average of 12,276 fans at the 17,796-seat FedExForum last season (and has a sizable NIL coffers thanks to a $25 million grant from Memphis-based FedEx).
Sources have also suggested that the Pac-12 may be looking to add a tenth, non-football member. That’s a coy way of saying Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs have considered leaving the West Coast Conference several times. First in 2018 with the Mountain West, before having to make financial and scheduling concessions to stay. Most recently they have played with the Big East and Big 12.
Oregon State and Washington State have signed a two-year agreement to play basketball and other sports in the WCC until the new Pac-12 takes shape. The lines of communication are open.
Dutcher was asked if he would put pressure on Gonzaga coach Mark Few.
“Mark Few is very smart,” Dutcher said. “He’s going to do what’s in the best interest of Gonzaga University. If he looks at the situation and he likes the other players we’re adding and he feels like it’s the best situation for Gonzaga, then they’ll make the move.”
“But I know this. Two of the best programs on the West Coast are San Diego State and Gonzaga. If we get into the same league, it’s going to be a tough league.”
It already is.
The average annual ranking in the Kenpom metric over the past five seasons for a Mountain West team is 120. For the six that make up the new Pac-12: 87.
The remaining seven Mountain West teams are 1-7 in the NCAA Tournament since 2020. The six in the Pac-12: 12-11, including SDSU’s run to the 2023 championship game and Oregon State’s appearance in the 2021 Elite Eight. Four were in the tournament last season.
Here’s a closer look at the six, with their average Kenpom finishing rank over the last five years:
SDSU (19): The crown jewel of Mountain West basketball with four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (and 11 of the last 14) and two consecutive trips to the Sweet 16. It would have been five consecutive trips if the tournament had not been canceled in 2020, when the Aztecs were 30-2 and projected as a No. 2 seed.
Boise State (52): Coach Leon Rice and his experienced staff have turned the Broncos into a perennial contender, finishing first or second in the Mountain West and reaching the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. The only thing they haven’t done is win when they got there.
State of Washington (71): The Cougars ended a 15-year tournament drought last season, winning 25 games and finishing second to Arizona in the Pac-12 under coach Kyle Smith. Faced with an uncertain future, Smith took the Stanford job and was replaced by Eastern Washington’s David Riley.
State of Colorado (73): The Rams have won 20 or more games in four of six seasons under Niko Medved, culminating in NCAA trips in 2022 and 2024. They beat Virginia 67-42 in the First Four last spring before losing to Texas. As the only high-altitude team, they will have a major home-court advantage at Moby Arena.
State of Oregon (146): The Beavers were ranked in Kenpom’s top 100 for four straight seasons before falling off the last three seasons, finishing 12th, 11th and 12th in the Pac-12 under coach Wayne Tinkle. They have a rich basketball tradition, though, and the 9,301-seat Gill Coliseum can be an intimidating place when it’s full.
State of Fresno (160): The Bulldogs have reached the tournament just once since Jerry Tarkanian retired in 2002, and the 15,596-seat Save Mart Center is a morgue most nights. Fresno State is among the least-resourced basketball programs in the Mountain West, making the Pac-12 an uphill battle for new coach Vance Walberg without significant investment.
“We’ll see what happens,” Dutcher said. “It’s two years away. We’ll see who else comes into the league. It might be better for us. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where we are. What we’ve done is build San Diego State into a relevant program.”
“We could play in any league and will remain relevant.”
Originally published:
