Mountain West Conference has approached Gonzaga about joining

The Mountain West Conference has been in discussions with No. 7 Gonzaga about joining the league, possibly by next season.

Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said on Wednesday that he has spoken with six university presidents or athletic directors since August about joining the conference. Gonzaga was the only school he identified.

Gonzaga has dominated the West Coast Conference, winning 17 regular-season championships and 14 tournament titles since Mark Few became coach in 1999. The Zags reached the NCAA title game a year ago, losing to North Carolina.

A move to a larger conference would boost the competition Gonzaga faces during the conference season and help with seeding in the NCAA Tournament. No. 11 Wichita State made a similar move last year, leaving the Missouri Valley Conference for the American Athletic Conference.