Gonzaga will stay in WCC despite interest from MWC

Despite interest from the Mountain West Conference, Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth confirmed Monday that the Bulldogs will remain in the West Coast Conference.

"Our decision is to remain in the WCC, where we've had a great relationship for 39 years going on 40," Roth told Jim Meehan of The Spokesman-Review. "We appreciate the Mountain West pursuing us. However, for a number of reasons, maintaining our status in the WCC is the right thing for Gonzaga University."

Gonzaga had been discussing a potential move with the Mountain West Conference for months, but the West Coast Conference opted to make some changes to scheduling and revenue distribution to benefit the Bulldogs' program.

Chief among those moves was the change from an 18-game conference schedule to 16, allowing more non-conference games for Gonzaga so the school can build a better RPI. The WCC also approved a change to allow teams that advance farther in to the NCAA tournament to keep a larger share of the conference's revenue.