Pac-12’s Absence Being Felt On and Off Court As March Madness Approaches

March Madness is right around the corner as conference tournaments conclude this weekend, and the absence of the Pac-12 is still being felt nearly one year after its collapse.

The biggest spot where the Pac-12 is missed this month is the turnstiles. 

Last year, the Pac-12 tournament drew more than 76,000 fans across six sessions at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where Oregon won its sixth conference title. That attendance number ranked sixth out of the 32 men’s basketball conference tournaments that collectively drew more than 1.1 million fans to games at neutral sites like NBA and NHL arenas, as well as smaller venues and even college campuses.

This year, there is one less conference tournament, as the Pac-12’s former teams are spread out among other leagues. That means there’s also one less automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

The Pac-12 sent four teams to the men’s NCAA tournament in 2024, and this year, just three former conference members are projected to make it, according to most bracketologists: Arizona in the Big 12, and Oregon and UCLA from the Big Ten. Notably, Oregon’s and Arizona State’s football teams emerged as champions of their new conferences this past season.

Oregon State and Washington State, the lone remaining members of the rebuilding Pac-12, were basketball members this season of the West Coast Conference, which was won by Gonzaga, who is joining the Pac-12 in 2026.

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In the women’s NCAA tournament, former Pac-12 schools USC and UCLA are both projected to earn one of their bracket’s four No. 1 seeds, after the Bruins defeated the Trojans in the Big Ten championship game.

Oregon State has already sealed its tournament bid by winning the WCC tournament in its first season in the conference. Utah, Cal, Oregon, and Washington are also projected to be in the mix for tournament bids.