What is the scoop with hoops?
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

This just in: Universities compete in sports other than football.

One of the most interesting parts of the conference expansion madness was how little college basketball mattered in the discussions. How little? Kansas, #3 in all-time wins and home of the guy who invented the game, was this close to being homeless.

Fear not, the Pac-12 is going to continue playing basketball. The question is just when, where and how often. And if you’re going to like any of the changes.

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The Pac-12 should schedule more BCS fruit.
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The Summer of Debate rolls on.

The Pac-10 has chosen its new members and they’re going to be here soon. Utah will be starting play in the fall of 2011 and Colorado might be too.

With schedules needing to be made now is the time to hammer out the details. After the football division alignment is settled the last remaining hurdle is one that is more complex than it appears:

How many games do you play?

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¡Adiós, Paco Once!

With the addition of Utah the Pac-11 became the Pac-12. Increased football riches will start pouring in with the Your-Corporate-Sponsor-Here Pac-12 Championship Game. All that’s left to do is split into two divisions.

Except that might be more difficult than convincing Texas to join your league.

Everyone wants to play USC’s highly compensated team.
Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

The battle lines are being drawn and, believe you me, this will be a battle. Access to the fertile Los Angeles recruiting fields is a treasure nobody wants to give up.

Colorado says it was promised L.A. but that isn’t sitting well in Northern California. The folks in the Pacific Northwest aren’t happy about it either.

The Arizona schools need to fight to keep them unhappy.

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The Pac-10 got its heart broken.

The western conference made a play for the prettiest girl in town. There was a lot of flirting and she seemed really interested but at the end of the day she went back to her old boyfriend (who just lost his job and was accused of cheating on her).

The Texas Longhorns are staying in the Big 12 and the remaining ten schools have re-pledged their allegiance. The Pac-10 will put on its tough-guy face and say it never really cared about Texas and was just using her anyway.

After the he said/she said stuff dies down the Pac-10 will move on. Here’s a look at what could be next:

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The Pac-10 is no more.

Right this moment it’s the Pac-11, or – if you’re so inclined – Paco Once.

But there will be a 12th team. The only question is if four more teams join on top of that.

After three decades of standing still the Pac-10 has started moving at breakneck speed. In a December conference commissioner Larry Scott said, “We’re hard-pressed to really see how you improve upon the structure of the Pac-10 as it is with five sets of natural rivals in four states.”

In February Scott said, “We’re looking at (expansion) very seriously.” But talks weren’t supposed to heat up for six to 12 months.

Larry Scott: Sports commissioner or evil genius?

On June 6 the Pac-10 gave Scott “the authority to pursue any possible expansion, while not committing the conference to adding any more schools.” Four days later Colorado was officially a member and the rumors of a 16-school super conference were swirling in full force.

How did we get here? And do we want to go where we’re apparently heading? Let’s break it down.

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