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Gonzaga is reportedly considering a move to the Big 12 amid the continued realignment in college sports, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. But West Virginia men's basketball coach Bob Huggins thinks the Bulldogs might be surprised by the strength of its new conference.
"I would think it would be a tremendous awakening for Gonzaga [to join the Big 12]," he told reporters Thursday.
Gonzaga has completely dominated the West Coast Conference since Mark Few took over as the head coach in the 1999-00 season, either winning or sharing the regular-season title in every season but 1999-00 and 2011-12. They've also won 18 conference tournament titles in that time.
But the Bulldogs have also fared well in the NCAA tournament, reaching two championship games, though a national title has eluded them.
And they've acquitted themselves well in non-conference games, with a 39-12 record against schools from the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, Big East, ACC and SEC dating back to 2017. A Sweet 16 loss to Arkansas was Gonzaga's last result against such a school.
So when they've danced with the big boys, they've generally fared well.
But there's little doubt the Big-12 would be a major step up in competition compared to the WCC. The past two national champions, Baylor and Kansas, hail from the Big-12. Five teams from the conference—Nos. 5 Kansas and Baylor, No. 12 Texas, No. 14 TCU and No. 25 Texas Tech—are all opening the season as top-25 teams in the Associated Press poll.
While Texas and Oklahoma are departing for the SEC in 2025, Houston—which starts the year ranked No. 3—will join the conference next season.
"To get in this league and play who we play day-after-day, I would think it would be a tremendous awakening," Huggins said of Gonzaga's potential defection to the conference. "You don't get to make your own schedule in the Big 12."
Bob Huggins is one of the most successful college basketball coaches of this generation. The 69-year-old became a head coach during the 1980-81 season when he was hired by Walsh University in Canton, Ohio.
After a three-year stint with the Cavaliers, Walsh spent one season as an assistant at Central Florida. He moved on to Akron before getting his first high-profile job at the University of Cincinnati in 1989.
Huggins went 399-127 with 14 NCAA tournament appearances in 16 seasons with the Bearcats. He was at Kansas State for the 2006-07 season before being hired by his alma mater, West Virginia, in April 2007.
Heading into his 16th season at West Virginia, Huggins ranks second in program history in games (514) and wins (326). His 10 NCAA tournament appearances are the most in school history, and he's one of only two Mountaineers coaches to reach the Final Four (Fred Schaus in 1959).
Huggins was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame over the summer as part of the class of 2022. His 916 career wins as a head coach are the fourth-most in men's Division I history.
As Huggins prepares to lead West Virginia into the 2022-23 season, he sat down with B/R for an AMA about the Big 12 realignment, past players he's coached and the outlook for this year's squad.
Coach, obviously an interesting time in the Big 12, some of the mainstays departing from the conference but also bringing in some new member schools real soon. Cincinnati and Houston have definitely made some waves in recent tournaments...How do you feel about conference expansion and getting that sort of shakeup?
Sometimes I think shakeups are good. In our case, we’re losing two great schools, but we’re replacing them with more neat schools. You hate to see them go but you’re excited to see what the new schools can bring to the table.
@Channing Have you ever thought about WVU in a different conference down the road?
No, not really. I didn’t know much about the Big 12. I went to Kansas State and I found out real quickly how good the Big 12 was. I think my first two games, one of them was against Coach Knight and the other against Rick Barnes. So now you’re looking around like: ‘I hope everybody ain’t like this’ … but they are. We have great coaches in the league. We have great players. We’ve had more NBA draft picks than any other league. We’ve had more first rounders than any other league. When you combine great coaches with great players, it’s a heck of a league.
@ReidVandy Among opposing Big 12 arenas, is there one environment that sticks out that either the crowd makes things tough or every time you know that game is coming up, you feel a special energy about it?
I don’t like going to Kansas. Bill and I are great friends but it’s hard to make adjustments. It’s so loud. It’s a great home atmosphere for them, but for the opposing team it’s rough just because of the noise. The noise is off the charts. I don’t do sign language so they can’t hear ya. Unless they read lips, it’s hard.
@WVU005 Which opposing coach was always toughest to go against not because the quality of their team necessarily but because you felt like they always are prepared or make the right adjustments?
I think that’s multiple guys. It would be hard to say it’s one coach. The coaches in our league are great at making adjustments. They are great at taking people and putting them in positions that are most advantageous to them. The coaches are terrific. The great thing is we all get along. When we get the opportunity to see each other, we enjoy it. It’s an extremely hard league, and to a large degree because the coaches are fantastic.
@DainfamousB What do you like about this year’s Mountaineers squad? (Obviously a bit of a more mature team, different dynamic perhaps)
The biggest thing is we can make shots. We have multiple guys that can make shots. We have three guys who haven’t really been on the floor yet, as they’re healing up from injuries. Those are also able to make shots. The hardest teams to guard are the ones in which everybody can make shots. You can’t help off one guy on someone who is having a good night because those guys who you helped off of are very capable as well.
@KToler What’s one word you would use to define this year’s team?
Courageous. I think we got a lot of guys that made tough choices. We have guys who came from the state of Washington. They had to go get a plane ticket and fly across the country and come here with a great attitude, which is important and they did. They came here with a fantastic attitude.
@StephenWallace14 Let’s talk Kenyon Martin. Guy had a great 4 years at Cincy. What do you remember about his recruitment?
He was a great competitor. Incredible. On top of that, he had ungodly athleticism. He could run, he could jump, he could move his feet. Ken could do virtually anything. Sadly, we were on our way to winning a national championship and he broke his leg. When you think about it: here’s a guy who broke his leg, got it healed up and played years after the injury, and played very well. He went No. 1 with a broken leg. That’s how good he was.
@WVUgirl101 Any tips for staying motivated after such a long time coaching?
I love basketball. I was born in a home where basketball was really important. When I was born, my dad was still playing. As a little kid, I didn’t remember a whole lot of it, but I remember my dad playing. He then went on to become probably the most famous coach in the history of Ohio basketball. I’ve been blessed. … I’ve been around coaches my whole life. I’ve been around a guy named Ed McCluskey who was one of the greatest coaches in Pennsylvania and he was like my grandfather. When I went to Walsh and I thought I knew what I was doing, he was one of the guys who helped me. I’ve been blessed to be around some of the greats. Coach Knight and I had a great relationship. Jimmy V and I had a great relationship. Roy Williams and I today are still very good friends. I’ve been around the best and the brightest and shame on me if I didn’t learn something from it.
@JasonKessler16 If you had to put together 5 former WVU players to execute your signature press defense, who are you going with?
You probably put Nate Adrian on the ball. Jevon Carter is going to take one of the guards. It’s hard from there. I don’t know if you put Tarik Phillip or Daxter Miles, but one of those two on the other guard. You got to have Sagaba Konate in the back because he blocked everything. I guess that’s five. That would be one heck of a pressing team.
@ChuckSailor (I know you have the treadmill that you’re known for at practice.) Have you ever thought of any other unconventional techniques for teaching players like ping pong for hand-eye coordination or anything of that sort?
We haven't done ping pong. We have done a lot of other things, but we haven’t done ping pong. Shaun Brown, our strength coach, is terrific. When our position opened up, I called 3 guys I worked with in the past and they all said hire Shaun Brown and he has been fantastic. He does a great job with our guys.
@Just_in_Time Who was the first person to call you Huggy Bear? Have you been called any other nicknames throughout your career?
I absolutely have no idea where that came from. It may have happened when I was at Cincinnati, but I don’t know if that’s for sure.
@d_jonesy Was there a time in which you got ejected when you were like: “ya I probably deserved that one”?
I think the majority of times that happens, I deserved it, generally. We have crazy rules. It used to be if it stepped out on the floor as a coach, but today they give you a little bit more leeway.
@WVPizzadog In your own words, what makes a good recruiter?
Honesty. If you are honest with a guy and they know you are honest. If they can trust you and their parents feel like they can trust you that goes a long way.
@D_Jonesy Now that you’re a Hall of Famer, what is still on your basketball bucket list?
Winning a national championship. At least one.
@JHeim19 Funniest player you’ve ever coached?
Probably Taevon. He made everyone laugh.
@Hbraz98 What is your favorite and least favorite Halloween candy?
I don’t really like any of them. It makes me happy when my wife’s giving them away.
@HBraz98 Favorite thanksgiving food item?
Turkey. We have turkey, we have ham, we have everything. Generally, we have the players who can’t get home over. Whatever they like, my wife cooks up. They wouldn’t come and eat if I did it
Former NBA guards Tim Hardaway and Manu Ginobili, former WNBA forward Swin Cash, former NBA coach George Karl and West Virginia men's basketball coach Bob Huggins will reportedly be among those inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the news, which will be officially announced Saturday.
Ginobili was elected on the first ballot after a 16-year NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs. His candidacy is among the most unique in history, given Ginobili spent the majority of his career playing a sixth-man role. His two All-Star selections rank among the lowest in history for a Basketball Hall of Famer of the modern era.
That said, Ginobili's brilliance on the international level bolstered his candidacy to the point he was a near-lock from the moment he retired. Serving as the best player and emotional leader of Argentina's international team, Ginobili led his country to a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics and a bronze four years later. Argentina remains the only country other than the United States to win gold since the Olympics began allowing pro players to compete in 1992.
“A beast. His competitive spirit is second to none and he never gives in and plays with a whole lot of passion, and that passion comes pouring out,” former teammate Patty Mills said of Ginobili, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
Hardaway played for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers over the course of 14 seasons. The catalyst of the Warriors' Run-TMC teams, he averaged 17.7 points and 8.2 assists over the course of his career, making five All-Star teams and earning five All-NBA selections.
Hardaway will join former Warriors teammates Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond in the Hall. It's likely he would have been inducted sooner if it were not for anti-gay comments he made in a 2007 interview with Dan Le Batard.
"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said during the interview. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."
Hardaway has since apologized and worked as an advocate for LGBTQ rights.
"I hurt a lot of people's feelings and it came off the wrong way and it was really bad of me to say that," Hardaway told HoopsHype in 2019. "Since then, I've turned a wrong into a right. My parents used to always tell me, 'If you do something wrong, look it in the eye. Don't back down from it and be scared of it. Go make it right and make people understand that you made a mistake.' And that's what I did. I'm trying to do what's right, supporting gay people and transgender people."
Cash captured three championships and was named to four All-Star teams over the course of her WNBA career with the Detroit Shock, Seattle Storm, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty. She also helped lead the United States to gold medals in the 2004 and 2012 Summer Games and was a fixture in the NBA's now-defunct Shooting Stars Challenge, winning the event four times.
In addition to her professional accolades, Cash won two championships and was the 2002 NCAA Tournament Most Oustanding Player while at UConn.
Karl and Huggins are, in some ways, mirror images of one another at different levels of the sport. Both have had massive regular-season success, with Karl ranking sixth on the NBA's all-time coaching victories list (1,175) and Huggins ranking eighth among Division I men's college coaches (844).
Their postseason success has not always followed, with Karl making only one trip to the NBA Finals in his coaching career and Huggins reaching the Final Four only twice, never making it to a national championship game.
Both known for their demanding styles, Karl and Huggins rarely made friends among opposing coaches—and sometimes within their own locker rooms—but their success at multiple stops is unquestioned.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the finalists for its class of 2022 on Friday.
The group includes four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili, three-time WNBA champion (and two-time NCAA champ) Swin Cash, four-time WNBA champion Lindsay Whalen and five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, among seven others.
As far as the other finalists go, the list also includes Leta Andrews, the winningest high school basketball coach in history. Michael Cooper was a key member of the Los Angeles Lakers' Showtime dynasty teams in the 1980s. Hugh Evans served as an NBA referee for three decades.
Bob Huggins, the current West Virginia men's basketball coach, owns 913 career wins on the collegiate level. Marques Johnson is a five-time NBA All-Star who also won the 1975 NCAA title with UCLA. Ex-NBA head coach George Karl sits sixth on the all-time regular-season wins list.
Marianne Stanley, the current Indiana Fever head coach, played at Immaculata during the school's AIAW basketball tournament dynasty in the 1970s. She's coached collegiately and professionally nearly every year since 1977 and won WNBA Coach of the Year honors with the 2002 Washington Mystics.
As far as the selection process for the eventual class goes, the Hall of Fame broke that down:
The purpose of the Honors Committee is to review carefully the selected Finalist’s basketball record before casting a vote in favor of or against Enshrining the Finalist in the BHOF. There are 24 voting members on each of the two Honors Committees (North American and Women’s). The Honors Committees consist of Hall of Famers, basketball executives and administrators, members of the media, and other experts in the game of basketball. A Finalist must garner a minimum of 18 votes from the respective Honors Committee to be Enshrined in the BHOF.
Hypothetically, all 11 finalists could make the Hall; there is no limit on the number of people per class.
The class of 2022 will be revealed during this year's NCAA Division I men's Final Four in New Orleans (April 2-4). The enshrinement ceremony will occur on Sept. 9 and 10 from Springfield, Massachusetts, the Hall of Fame's home.
Bob Huggins-coached teams have a long history of being knocked out of the NCAA tournament by higher-seeded teams.
Well, the West Virginia coach has an idea that could stop that from happening: get rid of Cinderellas entirely.
Huggins suggested major conference teams extract themselves from the NCAA tournament and create an event of their own while speaking Wednesday at Big 12 media day.
"They're doing it in football," Huggins said, per Myron Medcalf of ESPN. "Why wouldn't they do it? The presidents and athletic directors that have all the juice, why wouldn't they do it? Makes no sense why they wouldn't do it. I think it's more 'Why wouldn't they?' than 'Why would they?' And then, the other people, they can have their own tournament."
Let's start out with the fact that Huggins' basic premise is flawed. The College Football Playoff is currently considering expansion that would make it more likely—not less so—that a non-Power Five school makes the tournament. Expanding the playoffs would offer non-power schools their best shot at competing for a national title in decades.
Furthermore, the gap between major conference teams in football is exponentially higher than in basketball. Division 1 college football teams can give out 85 scholarships, compared with 13 basketball scholarships. There is also the matter of the NBA's one-and-done rule making things more difficult for higher-level basketball programs. Alabama football can hoard a never-ending assembly line of 5-star recruits that have been in Nick Saban's system years before getting significant playing time. John Calipari has a whole new starting five every season at Kentucky.
The most experienced teams in March tend to be mid-majors that can strike fear into talented-but-young major programs. Huggins-coached teams have been knocked out in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament 16 times in his 25 appearances. Since becoming a "major conference" coach at West Virginia, Huggins has lost in the first weekend to a non-power team on three occasions.
This certainly isn't an argument about competitive balance.
Huggins' argument seems to be about money: "Those Cinderella schools are putting 200 people, at best, in their gym. We're putting 14,000."
College basketball makes the overwhelming majority of its money via the NCAA Tournament, in large part because fans love its novelty and television networks value three weeks' worth of highly watched television. Stripping it down and creating something that is unlikely to attract as many fans—particularly casuals who adore Cinderellas—seems more likely to lose the schools money, rather than creating some financial bonanza.
West Virginia men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins has agreed to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in Morgantown through the 2023-24 season. The school announced the news Friday.
Huggins also has the option to continue coaching or lengthen his relationship with WVU through June 30, 2027.
Huggins will receive an annualized salary of $4.2 million for each of his remaining seasons as head coach, and all of the revenue will be generated by the athletics department ($250,000 in base pay, rest in supplemental pay). In addition, Huggins can earn annual performance incentives.
He will also get Emeritus status within the athletic department after he finishes as head coach, per the program's official website:
Huggins could defer his term of Emeritus status and continue to serve as head coach beyond the 2023-24 season with an annual mutual agreement between Huggins and the director of athletics on or before May 1, 2023, and each subsequent May 1 thereafter. His Emeritus status would continue for not less than two fiscal years through at least June 30, 2027. If Huggins continues to coach beyond June 30, 2027, he will have a minimum of two fiscal years of Emeritus status.
The 67-year-old Huggins has 900 head-coaching wins on his resume. He's been with West Virginia since 2007-08 and has led the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament in all but three of his seasons. Huggins led West Virginia to the Final Four in 2010.
Huggins was previously a head coach at Walsh College (1980-83), Akron (1984-89), Cincinnati (1989-05) and Kansas State (2006-07).
He notably led Cincinnati to the NCAA tournament from 1991-92 to 2004-05, guiding the Bearcats to the Final Four in 1992.
Last year's Mountaineers team went 19-10. It earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament before losing to No. 11 Syracuse in the round of 32. West Virginia's first-round win over No. 14 Morehead State was the 900th of Huggins' career.
Over the last few weeks, a solid second tier has developed in the Big 12 underneath the Kansas Jayhawks and Baylor Bears.
In Thursday's quarterfinal round of the Big 12 tournament, the four sides that have filled in nicely behind the top two teams will square off at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The opening clash between the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders is important to the hopes of both squads ahead of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The Oklahoma Sooners used a late-season surge to earn the No. 3 seed in Kansas City and they finish off the four-game schedule against the West Virginia Mountaineers, who enter off a home upset of Baylor.
Big 12 Quarterfinals Schedule
All Times ET.
No. 4 Texas vs. No. 5 Texas Tech (-5.5) (12:30 p.m., ESPN2) (Over/Under: 125)
No. 1 Kansas (-11) vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State (approximately 2:30 p.m., ESPN2) (O/U: 133.5)
No. 2 Baylor (-10) vs. No. 10 Kansas State (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) (O/U: 127)
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 West Virginia (-4) (approx. 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) (O/U: 134.5)
Betting Tips
Texas (+5.5) vs. Texas Tech
Given what could be at stake between Texas and Texas Tech, the line seems a bit big.
Both teams are lurking around the bubble of the NCAA tournament. Texas Tech is on the last four byes column in the latest projection from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, while Texas is one of the last four in.
Texas put itself in position to qualify for the field of 68 by stringing together a five-game winning streak that included a triumph over the Red Raiders February 29.
The Longhorns lost a bit of momentum from their defeat to the Oklahoma State Cowboys Saturday, but we still have to take into account that they recently beat Texas Tech.
Chris Beard's side is not worthy of being a favorite in any matchup right now, let alone a 5.5-point favorite.
The Red Raiders stumbled into Kansas City with four consecutive losses, two of which were by double digits to Texas and Oklahoma.
Look for Texas' guards to again be the X-factor in this matchup. Andrew Jones led all scorers two weeks ago with 22 points.
Jones, Matt Coleman III and Courtney Ramey form one of the better guard trios in the Big 12, and if they wreak havoc on Texas Tech once again, Texas could not only cover as an underdog, but also win outright and earn a meeting with Kansas Friday.
Oklahoma (+4) vs. West Virginia
Thursday's final matchup in Kansas City could be decided by the hottest hand on the court.
Oklahoma's Austin Reaves is coming off a 41-point performance versus the TCU Horned Frogs, and he has hit double digits in his last five contests.
The junior scored 13 points in his last meeting with West Virginia, which resulted in a 73-62 win for Lon Kruger's side.
If Reaves combines with leading scorer Kristian Doolittle to wreak havoc on the West Virginia defense, the Sooners could win outright as an underdog.
West Virginia is a solid team, but there are concerns about how well it will perform away from home.
Bob Huggins' side was 4-8 in true road games this season and only beat the Iowa State Cyclones and Oklahoma State on the road in Big 12 play.
While a neutral court has a different feel than a true road contest, the form outside of the Mountaineers gym is concerning for anyone contemplating a wager on them.
Oklahoma enters with three wins in its last four, including victories over West Virginia and Texas Tech, so it appears on paper to be the more trustworthy side at the moment.
If Doolittle and Reaves also receive support from Brady Manek, who is Oklahoma's third player averaging over 14 points per game, the Sooners could move on with relative ease.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
The Kansas Jayhawks' path to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament goes through the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
Bill Self's team is the top seed in the Big 12 tournament after earning the regular-season crown for the 15th time in 16 seasons.
The Baylor Bears have been Kansas' biggest challenger all season, and there is anticipation for the two sides to meet in Saturday's championship game.
The Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech Red Raiders and West Virginia Mountaineers could all pose a threat to the top two as they all try to improve their respective NCAA tournament resumes.
However, anything short of Kansas-Baylor Part III in the final would be viewed as a disappointing matchup.
Big 12 Tournament Bracket
Big 12 Tournament Odds
Kansas (+110; bet $100 to win $110)
Baylor (+235)
Texas Tech (+850)
West Virginia (+1000)
Oklahoma (+1400)
Texas (+3300)
TCU (+5000)
Oklahoma State (+8000)
Kansas State (+15000)
Iowa State (+20000)
Kansas does not carry much value from a betting perspective, but it is the safe pick to cut down the nets.
The Jayhawks have not lost since January 11, and they seem to be hitting their stride after earning wins over Baylor and Texas Tech in the final five contests of the regular season.
If Udoka Azubuike continues to produce at a double-double pace, few teams will be able to slow down the Kansas offense.
Suffering an upset in the quarterfinals to either the Iowa State Cyclones or Oklahoma State Cowboys seems unlikely since Kansas won all four of its matchups with those teams by double digits.
Texas Tech could be the biggest threat to Kansas before the championship, as it lost its two games to the Jayhawks by a combined seven points.
Chris Beard's Red Raiders are not sitting on the bubble, but they have a soft resume that can improve a bit with a win over Texas, who is listed on the last four in line by ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
Texas Tech's best victory is over the Louisville Cardinals, but it owns six defeats to ranked opponents.
The Red Raiders and Longhorns split the regular-season series, and with so much on the line, their quarterfinal could be the most competitive.
Oklahoma and West Virginia come into Kansas City with some momentum after Saturday wins, but it may be hard for either to take down Baylor in the semifinals.
The Sooners lost both matchups with the Bears, while West Virginia was 4-8 away from home, so it may not be able to challenge the No. 2 seed without a home-court advantage.
If Kansas and Baylor meet for a third time, the focus will be on Azubuike, who had 23 points and 19 rebounds in the February 22 win at the Ferrell Center.
The Bears do have a blueprint to stop Azubuike from their win at Allen Fieldhouse. The Kansas center had six points and 11 boards in that contest.
Since that defeat, Azubuike put up 10 double-doubles and scored 20 points or more on three occasions.
If Azubuike can win the paint battle against Freddie Gillespie and the Jayhawks negate the offensive production of the Baylor guards, like they did in Waco, Texas, they can lock up the No. 1 overall seed.
Even if Kansas loses to Baylor, it could have the best resume of the four projected No. 1 seeds, as its only defeats were suffered at the hands of Baylor, the Duke Blue Devils and Villanova Wildcats.
Baylor's losses to the TCU Horned Frogs and West Virginia could prevent it from overtaking Kansas for the No. 1 overall seed, but a second victory over the Jayhawks would set its top seed in stone.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com
