SPOKANE, WASHINGTON — Gonzaga will leave the West Coast Conference and join the reconstituted Pac-12 Conference in summer 2026. The move ends the Bulldogs' long tenure in a conference where they dominated for nearly three decades.

From 1998 through 2026, Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference tournament title 22 times, including 12 titles in the previous 14 years through March 2026. The team maintained a 56-6 record in conference tournament play from 1999 through 2026 and appeared in 27 consecutive NCAA Tournaments as of 2026.

West Coast Conference commissioner Stu Jackson acknowledged the financial and branding benefits Gonzaga brought to the conference. "Every member in the conference, both financially and from a brand standpoint in our conference as a whole, has benefited," Jackson said. "We are sad to see them go. But we understand, and from a West Coast Conference perspective, we wish them nothing but the best."

An analysis in 2018 estimated that Gonzaga generated more than $51 million for the West Coast Conference since 1999 through NCAA Tournament revenue sharing. Teams that win NCAA Tournament games earn a "unit" of tournament revenue for their conference, which is distributed among conference members. Since 2024, half of each NCAA Tournament unit earned goes to the school that earned it and half goes to the conference for distribution among other members.

Dan Monson, a former Gonzaga assistant coach who left in 1999 after leading the team to the Elite Eight, said the departure would impact other conference schools. "Gonzaga's departure had to mean disaster for the administration of these other schools, because the amount of money and recognition that Gonzaga brought that league is uncharted, unmatched," Monson said.

Former University of San Diego player Gyno Pomare expressed mixed feelings about the move. "Being a competitor, no, I'm not happy they're leaving," Pomare said. "One of those (NCAA Tournament) bids are going to go to Gonzaga. They're going to go because they're just a powerhouse."

Gonzaga announced in 2024 its intention to leave the West Coast Conference and join the Pac-12 Conference. The West Coast Conference previously changed its revenue-sharing rules in 2018 to give schools that won multiple NCAA Tournament games a larger share of revenue, following courtship from the Mountain West Conference that same year.

The Gonzaga men's basketball team has played in two national championship games. As of 2026, the team had won 17 consecutive opening-round NCAA Tournament games.