The 2025-26 college basketball season will bring a relatively tame round of conference realignment following the mayhem of a 2024-25 campaign marked by high-major upheaval. This time around, with many of the moves becoming official as of July 1, there are just five schools on the move and no changes coming to the high-major level.
Among the hoops-centric highlights in this year’s realignment is Seattle joining the the WCC, as the conference temporarily expands to 12 basketball teams before Gonzaga departs for the Pac-12 in 2026-27. Oregon State and Washington State will be joining the Zags in the reformed Pac-12, meaning the upcoming season will also be the second and final year for the Beavers and Cougars as temporary WCC hoops members.
Those changes will drop the league back to nine members, which was its tally during the 2023-24 season. But for now, the WCC will enjoy one season as a 12-team league led by a supercharged brand in the Zags, who have been its bell cow for nearly 30 years. Last season was a banner year for the WCC, which finished a record-high No. 7 in KenPom’s conference rankings amid the temporary additions of Oregon State and Washington State.
While the retention of Saint Mary’s and addition of Seattle solidified the WCC’s future, the upcoming season will mark a swan song of sorts for a longstanding, Gonzaga-oriented version of the conference.
The dawn of the 2025-26 academic and athletic year also brings yet another new member to the Division I ranks, as the University of New Haven begins its transition from Division II. The Chargers went 12-17 in D-II last season but reached the D-II Elite Eight in 2023.
Other moves for the 2025-26 are football-centric, as Delaware and Missouri State will join Conference USA and begin playing FBS football. UMass is also moving to the MAC, which marks a downgrade in basketball for the Minutemen. However, the MAC provides a home for the UMass football program, which was previously independent.
Conference changes for 2025-26
Delaware: CAA to CUSA
Missouri State: MVC to CUSA
New Haven: Division II to NEC
Seattle: WAC to WCC
UMass: Atlantic 10 to MAC
Reflecting on last year’s realignment
The dust has settled on a significant wave of realignment that permeated college hoops in the 2024-25 season. With 10 of the Pac-12’s former members joining three different high-major leagues, brand-name leagues swelled to record numbers.
That led to a record NCAA Tournament haul of 14 for the SEC, which had its two new members, Oklahoma and Texas, each qualify for the Big Dance. However, life in a new league wasn’t easy for the Sooners and Longhorns, who each finished 6-12 in SEC play.
Of the 13 high-major schools that were in their first season in a new conference last season, only UCLA, SMU and Stanford finished with a better league winning percentage in 2025 than they did in 2024.
Making the move
How college basketball teams which changed conferences last season fared in the regular season and in the NCAA Tournament (if applicable)
| School | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Pac-12 (27-9, 15-5 – Sweet 16) | Big 12 (24-13, 14-6 – Sweet 16) |
| Arizona State | Pac-12 (14-18, 8-12) | Big 12 (13-20, 4-16) |
| California | Pac-12 (13-19, 9-11) | ACC (14-19, 6-14) |
| Chicago State | Independent (13-19) | NEC (4-28, 4-12) |
| Colorado | Pac-12 (26-11, 13-7 – second round) | Big 12 (14-21, 3-17) |
| Kennesaw State | ASUN (15-16, 6-10) | Conference USA (19-14, 10-8) |
| Mercyhurst | DII PSAC (15-16, 11-11) | NEC (15-16, 9-7) |
| Merrimack | NEC (21-12, 13-3) | MAAC (18-15, 14-6) |
| Oklahoma | Big 12 20-12 (8-10) | SEC (20-14, 6-12 – first round) |
| Oregon | Pac-12 (24-12, 12-8 – second round) | Big Ten (25-10, 12-8 – second round) |
| Oregon State | Pac-12 (13-19, 5-15) | WCC (20-13, 10-8) |
| Sacred Heart | NEC (16-16, 10-6) | MAAC (15-18, 10-10) |
| SMU | AAC (20-13, 11-7) | ACC (24-11, 13-7) |
| Stanford | Pac-12 (14-18, 8-12) | ACC (21-14, 11-9) |
| Stephen F. Austin | WAC (18-15, 10-10) | Southland (14-17, 7-13) |
| Texas | Big 12 (21-13, 9-9 – second round) | SEC (19-16, 6-12 – First Four) |
| UCLA | Pac-12 (16-17, 10-10) | Big Ten (23-11, 13-7 – second round) |
| USC | Pac-12 (15-18, 8-12) | Big Ten (17-18, 7-13) |
| Utah | Pac-12 (22-15, 9-11) | Big 12 (16-17, 8-12) |
| UTRGV | WAC (6-25, 2-18) | Southland (16-15, 8-12) |
| Washington | Pac-12 (17-15, 9-11) | Big Ten (13-18, 4-16) |
| Washington State | Pac-12 (25-10, 14-6 – second round) | WCC (19-15, 8-10) |
| West Georgia | DII Gulf South (27-6, 19-5) | ASUN (6-25, 4-14) |
Looking ahead on realignment
The 2025-26 season will also mark the ending of a strong era of Mountain West basketball. When the Pac-12 reforms for 2026-27, it will be adding Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Utah State from the MWC. In essence, the Pac-12 will be siphoning off a sizable chunk of the best basketball brands from the Mountain West and WCC to create a league that should operate as the strongest in the country outside of the high-major structure. In conjunction with those changes, the Mountain West will add Grand Canyon, Hawaii, UC-Davis and UTEP.
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