Realignment never truly sleeps, and UC San Diego is the latest program to shake up the western landscape. On the heels of its first taste of Division I postseason glory, the Tritons have accepted an invitation to join the West Coast Conference (WCC), beginning with the 2026–27 academic year.
UCSD only recently completed its mandatory transition from Division II, becoming fully eligible for NCAA tournaments this past season. The Tritons wasted no time making history — winning 30 games, capturing the Big West Conference Tournament, and punching their ticket to March Madness in their first year of eligibility. Both the men’s and women’s basketball programs qualified, making UCSD the first school to accomplish that feat in year one of postseason play. The program was a Division III institution in 2000.
The Tritons’ sudden success, combined with their San Diego market presence and academic profile, made them an attractive target for the WCC.
What’s notable is that the WCC, a league that has traditionally valued institutional alignment with private schools, is breaking the mold with UCSD, a public institution. While the conference has had public universities as full members in the past, all of its current members are private, faith-based institutions. The University of Nevada-Reno was the last public school in the league, departing in 1979 to join the Big Sky Conference.
The move comes as a surprise — and a blow — to the Big West Conference. The league had tremendous success this year by adding Cal Baptist, Utah Valley, and Sacramento State while surviving Hawaiʻi’s departure to the Mountain West.
Sources close to HERO Sports indicated there was mounting frustration among WCC member schools about the league’s lack of urgency in expansion. The conference, with Gonzaga departing, had taken steps to modernize its membership by adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon last year — moves slated to take effect in July 2026. But Grand Canyon abruptly backed out, opting to jump to the Mountain West on July 1 of this year.
UC San Diego fills that gap while strengthening the league’s California footprint, adding a nationally recognized research university and budding basketball programs with fresh March Madness credentials.
The timing of the announcement also coincides with a major leadership change. On June 3, longtime athletic director Earl Edwards announced he would step down after 25 years of service. Edwards — who oversaw UCSD’s climb from Division III to Division I — will transition into the role of Athletic Director Emeritus and serve as special advisor to Chancellor Pradeep Khosla.
A national search is underway for his successor, and whoever steps into the chair will inherit a program with an impressive trajectory. The search is expected to wrap up in September and is being done by Parker Executive Search.
The move brings WCC membership to 10 schools: Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary’s, the University of San Diego (just 10 miles from UCSD), San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Seattle.
And in the broader world of realignment, it’s one more reminder: even in the so-called “stable” corners of Division I, change is always on the horizon.
