In an era of cross-country conferences, SDSU’s Brian Dutcher happy to join new Pac-12

Since the Wildcats left the imploding Pac-12 before the 2024-25 season, they have taken trips to the Big 12 basketball epicenter of Kansas City that are no farther than their flights to Pac-12 Pacific Northwest schools.

And while biennial trips to Cincinnati, West Virginia and UCF have stretched them into the Eastern Time Zone, many other journeys, such as those to Big 12 Texas schools or Oklahoma State, are even shorter than visiting teams in Oregon or Washington.

Also, of course, the Wildcats are now part of a stronger men’s basketball conference, with more exposure to heartland and Eastern markets thanks to their eastward-tilted schedule and somewhat earlier game times.

But what about former Pac-12 teams UCLA, USC, Washington and Oregon, all flying into the Midwest and East to play many of their Big Ten games?

Or what about California and Stanford, flying even more often across the entire country to play in the ACC, or, for them, what probably should be known as the WCC (Wrong Coast Conference)?

San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher doesn’t get it.

“I think traveling across the country in basketball makes no sense when there are quality opponents within an hour of you,” said Dutcher, whose Aztecs will visit Arizona for an exhibition game Friday. “The Big 12 and the ACC and the Big 10 are all great options, but to leave Los Angeles and play a game in New Jersey in the regular season makes no sense to me. Or to leave the Bay Area and go play a regular season game at Miami or Florida makes no sense to me.

“I think college athletics has got it backward in that regard. Football can do that because they only play one game a week on a Saturday. Generally, they're set up to play nationally. I don't think the rest of us are set up that way. It’s not in the best interest of the student-athletes to be doing this.”

So after the Aztecs make the short hop home after Friday’s game, they’ll also spend the regular season entirely in the West, with no trip farther East than a conference game at Texas State ... thanks to their new membership in the rebuilt Pac-12.

SDSU left the Mountain West after last season to help rebuild what is still a regional league, if one that no longer includes many of the West’s most prestigious programs.

After spending two years as guest members of the West Coast Conference, Pac-12 holdovers Oregon State and Washington State will welcome SDSU, Boise State, Utah State, Colorado State and Fresno State from the Mountain West. Basketball powerhouse Gonzaga is coming over from the West Coast Conference, and Texas State left the Sun Belt, with Texas State allowing the rebuilt league to meet a minimum of eight football-playing schools since Gonzaga doesn’t field that sport.

Bottom line: Dutcher’s team will take many of the same trips as it did in the old Mountain West, and will get to play more often up the actual West Coast.

“I think this is what college basketball should be,” Dutcher said. “It’s a West Coast conference. The furthest we go is Texas … and the furthest game we play in the (nonconference) season is in Las Vegas.

“So we are playing in the West. We are staying in the West. I like that. It gives you the best chance to be successful and it gives your kids a chance to be truly student-athletes.”

Even if the new Pac-12 might seem, well, a little odd.

Marquee UCLA-Arizona games replaced by SDSU-Gonzaga? Crucial postseason resume games being played in Boise or Fresno, instead of the Bay Area and Seattle? Games on the USA Network and CW instead of ESPN and FOX?

“Where do we want to start with odd?” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said when asked if the new Pac-12 seemed that way. “I mean, everything's odd right now. But, listen, I'm sure it's going to be a good basketball conference, and I know with the old Pac-12 that we were part of dissolving, the West Coast needs a strong basketball conference once again.

“Hopefully, this new Pac-12 can really provide that.”

Dutcher says it will. He has pointed out repeatedly during preseason interviews that the conference started rebuilding itself with the two last Western teams to play in the NCAA championship game — Gonzaga in 2021 and SDSU in 2023 (Arizona, of course, fell one game short last season when it lost to Michigan in the semifinal).

“That’s a pretty good start to any conference,” Dutcher said.

Dutcher says the Aztecs could also benefit by not having to face high-altitude games at former Mountain West opponents such as New Mexico, Air Force and Wyoming, but he’ll also have to take on a new league with only four returnees.

Although turned-over rosters are hardly unusual in today’s elite college basketball game, it is a change from the significant continuity Dutcher enjoyed last season, when the Aztecs dragged Arizona into a 68-45 game the Wildcats managed to win in Phoenix.

This time, the Aztecs and Wildcats are meeting in an exhibition game for the first time, with the NCAA now allowing exhibitions between Division I teams. While there are no immediate plans to resume a regular-season series — such as UA and SDSU had regularly during the Sean Miller era — both Dutcher and Lloyd expressed respect for each other’s program.

Still, Dutcher said the Aztecs are “nowhere near where we need to be” at this early stage, at a time when Arizona has already played four exhibition games, counting three in Lithuania in August.

“I think they thought it brought value for them to see where they are at by playing us because I think most people know traditionally we're a pretty good defensive team,” Dutcher said. “The whole reason of playing these is to find whatever weaknesses you may have. You want to know where you're at heading into the season. So hopefully we'll play well enough where Tommy will gain some things from the game as we will.”

While Dutcher says he has nine new players overall, it helps that the new gang of Aztecs includes two 23-year-old Europeans, forwards Luca Vicini of Italy and Luka Skoric of Croatia.

Dutcher said the 6-9 Skoric is a good shooter who can stretch the floor, and that  Vicini is a “great connector” who screens and rolls well. SDSU also brought in a 21-year-old Italian freshman guard in David Torresani, whom Dutcher says is a dynamic athlete.

“We're adding grown men … so I'm thinking we're going to be pretty good,” Dutcher says. “We have to stay injury-free. We have to continue to grow as a team, which we generally do at San Diego State. I think we have a chance to be a very good team in this new era of college basketball.”