Gonzaga’s NCAA departure: What’s next for the Zags as revenue sharing arrives and the Pac-12 looms

The streak, one of the most remarkable in college basketball, has ended.

For the first time since 2014, there will be a Sweet 16 without Gonzaga.

Prior to an 81-76 loss to Houston on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs had reached the Sweet 16 in nine consecutive tournaments. Only North Carolina and Duke – two of the bluest bloods in the sport – have equaled that feat since the field expanded to 64 teams four decades ago.

That’s the list. North Carolina, Duke and Gonzaga.

But here’s the thing: The Zags could have easily reached the Sweet 16 for a record-setting 10th consecutive year if they had just beaten … Oregon State.

And Santa Clara.

The regular-season losses to the Beavers (on the road) and the Broncos (at home) went in the books as Quad 3 defeats and were largely, if not entirely responsible for the Zags drawing a No. 8 seed. Which meant they had to face a No. 1 in the second round. Houston was five points better.

Had the Zags played exactly the same game Saturday night against any of the No. 2 or 3 seeds, they win. They win, and they advance.

And they would have faced one of the Nos. 2 or 3 if they had been two spots higher on the so-called ‘true seed list’ of all 68 teams that the selection committee uses to create the field.

The final No. 7 seed was Kansas, which ranked 28th on the true seed list. The Zags were No. 30, or the second of the No. 8 seeds.

Two measly spots higher, and Gonzaga avoids the No. 1s in the second round.

All they had to do was beat Oregon State on the road and Santa Clara at home and those Quad 3 losses disappear and the seed improves just enough.

Heck, winning one of those two games might have been enough for a No. 7 seed.

And as a No. 7 seed, the Zags would still be playing.

Which brings us to Lesson No. 1 for Gonzaga as the next era arrives for the program, the sport and the industry of college athletics.

Beware the unintended consequences, because the stakes are enormous.

The realignment game is on temporary hold across college sports following the settlement of multiple ACC lawsuits that threatened to create another wave of conference restructuring.

But the instigators, Clemson and Florida State, were victorious on several fronts. First and foremost, they negotiated down the cost of departing the conference to a manageable price starting in 2030.

At that point, those schools, along with North Carolina and Miami, assuredly will seek entry into the Big Ten, the SEC or whatever college football super league could emerge.

The implications are momentous for every sport, including basketball.

It’s not difficult to imagine the depleted ACC joining forces with the Big East and other select schools to create a national basketball powerhouse.

Or to envision the Big 12 morphing into a 24- or 28-team behemoth that includes the best basketball schools not in the SEC or Big Ten.

Or to consider the possibility of Pac-12 legacy schools returning in all sports but football.

Whatever happens, Gonzaga must be ready.

Leaving the West Coast Conference for a rebuilt Pac-12 was a first step – a necessary step, perhaps, for long-haul strategic positioning.

The restructured conference will possess a higher concentration of quality basketball programs, which will improve Gonzaga’s strength-of-schedule and, in theory, bolster its NET ranking on an annual basis.

It will most likely have minimum investment standards for revenue sharing – the era is expected to begin this summer – in order to ensure competitive success.

And it will create a launch point for the Zags into whatever power conference structure comes next … if the university maximizes its advantages.

Unlike schools in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and even their soon-to-be peers in the rebuilt Pac-12, the Zags won’t be required to share revenue with 85 or 100 football players.

They can plow every available dollar into basketball to fund a roster that dominates the new Pac-12 the way it has dominated the WCC.

That beats ACC and Big 12 teams in non-conference games.

That avoids the type of NET-killing losses that undermine tournament resumes and leave a Sweet 16-caliber team to face a No. 1 seed in the second round.

But the Zags have to play it right. There could be pressure on campus or in the community or even from the Pac-12 to distribute revenue-sharing funds in a manner that benefits the full sweep of Gonzaga’s athletic department. After all, the Title IX component has not been clarified by the courts.

Now is not the time to play nice.

Once revenue sharing begins, Gonzaga must be unapologetic, cutthroat and relentless in its commitment to men’s basketball.

Do whatever is necessary to win, short of violating the law – if there is a law – or conference regulations.

Success at the highest level has never been more important.

The next five years are an audition.

There’s nothing at stake, except the future of Gonzaga athletics.