r/BigWest

Keeping with the conversation of conference changes, what universities do you predict the Big West will add, if any at all? Like discussed earlier, there's not many nearby Division I schools that aren't already in the Big West or in a better conference. This means if any changes do happen, it'll probably be a DII callup.

• Cal Poly Pomona — high enrollment, successful athletic programs, and good facilities for Division II. High endowment as well, and could create a Poly rivalry with SLO. Also played DI softball before eliminating the program.
• Western Washington — relatively high enrollment, athletic success, and also has good facilities for DII. Would be the northernmost DI school as well.
• University of British Columbia — my personal favorite: 40,000+ students, one of the most successful Canadian sports universities, better facilities than most in the conference, a high spending budget, and a high endowment.

>DanielR372 •14d ago
Don’t ask how I know but just trust me. There are currently talks of football. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s in the early brainstorming stages of “is this possible”.

If this is true, the University of British Columbia is a great option because they already have a football team. Plus, if it's an FBS conference it opens up other options.

• UBC joins the conference
• New Mexico State could be welcomed back into the conference.
• Sac State no longer has to travel cross-country
• Cal Poly moves up to FBS
• Idaho moves up to FBS
• Fullerton restarts their program
• Utah Valley starts a program
• UC Irvine starts a program
• Long Beach or Northridge restart their program

While I doubt football would start as an FBS conference, I do think it would be an interesting route to go. It'd require investment from a few current conference members, but it could certainly but the Big West back on the map.

If UCSB were still in the conference, Harder Stadium would be a great facility for the conference championship, or re-adding UCSB's football team. Maybe UCSD and UCSB left because they didn't want to sponsor football. Who knows. Who do you guys think the Big West could add to the conference?

Now that the dust has settled on the tournament and the academic year is wrapping up, it's still hitting me that Hawaiʻi and UC Davis are officially on their way to the Mountain West. Seeing UH cut down the nets in Henderson as their parting gift was bittersweet, but it completely changes the landscape of this conference moving forward.Russell Turner has built an absolute model of consistency at UC Irvine, but they can't run the table completely unopposed. With two perennial contenders leaving a massive power vacuum, who do you think takes the leap to consistently challenge the Anteaters?Does UC San Diego fully cement themselves at the top tier now that their postseason transition is well behind them? Or does CSUN capitalize on the momentum Josiah Davis built this year? I’m genuinely curious to see how the basketball hierarchy recalibrates this summer.

Gainsville beat writer reveals what UC Irvine is getting with Olivier Rioux

I meant to post this here back in March but here is my tracker for comings and goings in Big West Hoops:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQaG9bThedrX7bD3SfKzN7sVBK_4-UViCgMZs7uALaClbeK0B1p6DlT156SzqhgZ8d5jMZIaA9WZQnZ/pubhtml

We've known for a while that realignment was coming. But now that Hawai'i has played its last Big West game and UC Davis is also heading to the Mountain West on July 1st, with UCSD and UCSB leaving for the WCC in 2027, it feels real. On the flip side, Utah Valley and Cal Baptist are coming in. My question isn't about the realignment itself. It's about the on-court future. After the exits, which remaining or incoming program is best positioned to be the new standard-bearer for the league? Does UC Irvine become the perennial favorite by default? Can Cal State Northridge build on a solid 2025-26 season? Or does a newcomer like Utah Valley shake things up immediately? Let's map out the next five years. Who's the team to beat?

>Sacramento State coach Mike Bibby has landed Cal State Northridge transfer Larry Hughes Jr., his agent @Ryanmurphhoop told @TheFieldOf68.

>Hughes, who played his first three seasons at Saint Louis, averaged 17.7 points last season and shot 40 percent from 3. He only played 7 games as a junior due to injury, so he will likely get another year.

https://x.com/GoodmanHoops/status/2052911166821671082

Officially official.