Dribble handoff: Arizona, UCLA are among the most impactful college basketball realignment moves for the 2024-25 season

Conference realignment occurred at the edge of college basketball’s power-conference structure last season when BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF began their tenures as Big 12 members. Now, Tidal wave of realignment is set to take hold on the sporting landscape during the 2024-25 season.

Oklahoma and Texas are now part of the SEC, and the implosion of the Pac-12 has split that conference’s members in four different directions, with the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and WCC each adding new schools. SMU is also moving from the AAC to the ACC, and some less-prominent realignment moves are taking hold.

The fallout from these moves will be huge as travel across the country becomes more common, new rivalries will be formed and old ones will die out. The 14-team SEC, which was previously thrilled to receive eight NCAA Tournament bids, may now see it as the bare minimum it deserves, while the 18-team Big Ten will look to send 10 or more representatives to the Big Dance annually.

As the new season approaches and realignment becomes a reality, our writers are using this week’s Dribble Handoff to assess which team’s movement will have the biggest impact.

From UCLA to the Big Ten

Arizona is the highest-rated team in my top 25 and 1 that is changing leagues this offseason – but the Big 12 is such a beast with Kansas, Houston, Iowa State and Baylor that the Wildcats are more likely to blend in rather than break away from the pack. The Big Ten should be more manageable, though, which is why I believe UCLA has a better chance to make a big impact than any other program joining a new conference.

UCLA is ranked No. 19 in the Top 25 and 1 — more or less grouped with No. 12 Purdue, No. 15 Ohio State and No. 18 Indiana, because I believe these schools are the best-placed to win the Big Ten. At least on paper, there’s not much difference in the potential of these four teams. I can easily see them finishing in either order. Combine that with the idea that Mick Cronin should be motivated to bounce back after posting a losing record last season for the first time since 2008, and I’m expecting good things from the Bruins in their first year in a league that hasn’t produced a national champion since Michigan State won the 64-team NCAA tournament in 2000. — Gary Parrish

From Arizona to the Big 12

If you want a second look at what the high-key realignment will look like in the fall, here are the changes:

The Big 12 stated: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah
The SEC further stated: oklahoma, texas
The ACC further said: Cal, SMU, Stanford
The Big Ten further stated: Oregon, Washington, UCLA, USC
The WCC further stated: Oregon State, Washington State

In men’s basketball, I would argue that most of these programs are not in a position to make significant progress due to a number of factors. I think Oregon State and Washington State may have an easy window to potentially advance in the WCC, but I’d have to look at that first.

Arizona is the most-liked school here. In my opinion, this school has the best basketball coach of any school on this list. The geographical shift isn’t that significant, and Arizona has been a top 10-tier team under Tommy Lloyd the past three seasons. Moving into the Big 12 would be a big jump in terms of difficulty, but the Wildcats would gain top-two status in terms of program prestige. They would also have top-three home-court advantage. I would sum it up this way: Which conference feels the best with the addition of one school? In my opinion, having Arizona in the Big 12 is the clear choice. — Matt Norlander

From Arizona to the Big 12

I’ll echo Norlander’s thoughts here: From Arizona to the Big 12, the No. 1 most impressive alignment event in college hoops is lurking for 2024-25 — and maybe forever. This is an Arizona team that has been ranked in the top five every season under Tommy Lloyd, has been ranked in the top two of the AP Poll twice, and was ranked No. 1 for multiple weeks last season. Since 2021-2022, it has been ranked in the top-10 of the AP Top 25 Poll for 46 weeks — 17 weeks more than two-time champion UConn in the same span. Think about how impressive that is!

This program is an engine that shows no signs of slowing down under Lloyd. His run-and-fun style has recruited well, developed well and produced 88 wins in three seasons. Postseason failures are postseason failures — they’re hard to ignore — but this is consistently one of the best teams in college basketball joining a conference that is consistently one of the best in the entire sport. Force meets immovable object. The addition of Arizona at the top of this league is likely to indelibly change things and further solidify the Big 12’s claim as the strongest conference in college basketball. — Kyle Boone

From USC to the Big Ten

USC’s move to the Big Ten, combined with the arrival of coach Eric Musselman, gives the program a chance to surpass the limits of its historical ceiling to become an elevated national brand. In this way, perhaps no program affected by realignment stands to gain more from the new era. Musselman is the best player around. dynamic personality type That would energize the program, and his track record suggests the results will come in a short amount of time. Andy Enfield won 20 or more games seven times in his final nine seasons and led the Trojans to the Elite Eight in 2021, so it’s not like he did a bad job. But under his direction, the Trojans have never been better than a No. 6 seed for the Big Dance and have been eliminated in the first weekend in four of their five tournament appearances during his tenure. Playing in a weak Pac-12 certainly hasn’t helped.

Musselman proved himself as a master of the march during his five-year tenure at Arkansas, and talent acquisition has never been an issue for the 59-year-old former coach of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. Musselman essentially pioneered transfer recruiting during his tenure at Nevada (2015-19) and built a competitive 2024-25 roster shortly after taking the job. The Trojans are expected to thrive under his direction and become a perennial force in the Big Ten. — David Cobb

From Arizona to the Big 12

I’ll side with Norlander and Boone here. Of all the realignment moves this offseason, Arizona joining the Big 12 is the most significant in terms of basketball. Sure, the SEC is king in football, but the Big 12 is getting better in basketball with Arizona’s addition. Tommy Lloyd has rebuilt the Wildcats into a contender, and the program will be on the brink this season when they join the conference. The Big 12 was the biggest player in conference realignment last summer, and adding a program of Arizona’s level solidifies it as the best basketball conference in the country.

When you look at the landscape of the Big 12, there are at least six teams (Arizona, Baylor, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas) that could realistically win the league. Then you have dark horses like BYU and Texas Tech that could make things interesting. The Big 12 will be the ultimate challenge and it will be fun to watch it play out on the hardwood. — Cameron Salerno