2026-27 College Basketball Conference Changes: Every Move in Division I, II and III

By: Steve Pugh, Founder, Versus Sports Simulator
October 27, 2026

The Pac-12 is back in basketball this season, with nine schools. Only Oregon State and Washington State were there before. But the Pac-12 is just the biggest piece of it. Realignment touched all three NCAA divisions this year, and a handful of small colleges are gone altogether.

We rate every men's college basketball team in Divisions I, II and III, so we had to get every one of these right before the season started. Here's the full list, and the sources we checked it against are linked throughout.

The Pac-12's Nine Basketball Schools in 2026-27

The 2026-27 Pac-12 is Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State and Washington State. Five of them came from the Mountain West. Then Gonzaga left the West Coast Conference, where Oregon State and Washington State had also spent the last two seasons. And Texas State came over from the Sun Belt. CBS Sports counted 27 Division I programs changing leagues this year.

Every Division I Conference Change

Grouped by the conference each school joined:

• Pac-12: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State (from the Mountain West), Gonzaga (West Coast) and Texas State (Sun Belt)
• United Athletic Conference: Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and West Georgia (from the ASUN), plus Little Rock (Ohio Valley)
• Mountain West: Hawaii and UC Davis (Big West), UTEP (Conference USA)
• Big West: Sacramento State (Big Sky), Cal Baptist and Utah Valley (WAC)
• Big Sky: Southern Utah and Utah Tech (WAC)
• Sun Belt: Louisiana Tech (Conference USA)
• West Coast: Denver (Summit League)
• Southern Conference: Tennessee Tech (Ohio Valley), per the SoCon
• Horizon League: Northern Illinois (MAC). Its football team goes to the Mountain West as an affiliate.
• ASUN: West Florida, up from Division II

The United Athletic Conference is the old WAC under a new name. So Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and UT Arlington didn't actually move, their league just got renamed and picked up six new members. The MAAC renamed itself too. It's now The Metro Conference, with the same members.

Most of this matches the lists kept by Wikipedia, ESPN and On3, and we checked each school against the team lists at Massey Ratings too.

Teams Moving Between Divisions

Three schools changed divisions this year. Two went down and one went up.

• West Florida moves up from Division II (Gulf South) to Division I in the ASUN. It's reclassifying, so it can't play in the NCAA tournament yet.
• Saint Francis (PA) goes the other way, from the Northeast Conference in Division I to the Presidents' Athletic Conference in Division III.
• Azusa Pacific drops from Division II (PacWest) to Division III in the SCIAC.

Division II Conference Changes

• Shawnee State joins the NCAA from the NAIA and plays in the Mountain East.
• Fresno Pacific and Menlo leave the PacWest for the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Monroe University in New Rochelle, NY shows up on a few Division II schedules this season, but it isn't an NCAA member yet. Wikipedia's CACC page has its application for 2027-28.

Division III Conference Changes

• Marywood leaves the Atlantic East for the MAC Freedom, and Neumann leaves it for the MAC Commonwealth.
• Luther moves from the American Rivers to the Midwest Conference.
• Maryville (TN) moves from the Collegiate Conference of the South to the Southern Athletic Association.
• McMurry and Schreiner leave the SCAC for the American Southwest.
• Alfred State (from the AMCC) and SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Delhi (from the North Atlantic) all join the SUNYAC.
• SUNY New Paltz leaves the SUNYAC for the NJAC.
• Virginia Wesleyan is now Batten University. Same school, still in the ODAC.

Most of the Division II and III moves are tracked in the Sports Enthusiasts realignment tracker, which is honestly the best single list we found for the smaller divisions.

Division III Programs That Are Gone

Four Division III men's programs won't be on the schedule this season.

• Anna Maria (MASCAC) closed.
• Valley Forge (United East) suspended operations.
• Rosemont (United East) moved its athletics to the club level as part of its merger with Villanova.
• New Jersey City (NJAC) is being absorbed by Kean, and its men's team now plays outside the NCAA, per D3sports.

Conference Changes Already Set for 2027-28

And a few more moves are already set for next season. Fairfield goes from the Metro Conference to the CAA, Le Moyne from the Northeast Conference to the Metro, and UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara from the Big West to the West Coast Conference. In Division III, Castleton heads to the MASCAC, Keuka to the AMCC, and NJCU to the CUNYAC. What's left of the Atlantic East merges into the United East.

Where to Find Every Team

So every team already shows up under its new conference in our 2026-27 ratings. The Division I rankings, Division II rankings and Division III rankings are free, and they update all season once games are played.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which teams are in the Pac-12 for 2026-27 basketball?

Nine: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State and Washington State. Oregon State and Washington State are the only two that were in the Pac-12 before. Five joined from the Mountain West, Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference and Texas State from the Sun Belt.

What is the United Athletic Conference in basketball?

It's the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) under a new name, starting in 2026-27. Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and UT Arlington stayed, and Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, West Georgia and Little Rock joined.

What is the Metro Conference in college basketball?

It's the new name of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), starting in 2026-27. The members didn't change. Le Moyne is set to join it in 2027-28, and Fairfield is set to leave for the CAA.

Which schools moved up to Division I basketball in 2026-27?

West Florida, which moved from Division II's Gulf South Conference to the ASUN. It's in the NCAA's reclassification period, so it isn't eligible for the NCAA tournament yet. Saint Francis (PA) went the other way, leaving Division I for Division III's Presidents' Athletic Conference.

Which college basketball programs closed in 2026?

In Division III, Anna Maria College closed, the University of Valley Forge suspended operations, Rosemont moved its athletics to the club level in its merger with Villanova, and New Jersey City University's men's team left the NCAA as the school is absorbed by Kean.

Steve Pugh, Founder and CEO, Compughter Technologies, LLC

Steve Pugh, the founder of Versus Sports Simulator, is passionate about the world of sports analytics and statistical modeling. With a deep-rooted love for math and sports, and a commitment to innovation, he's dedicated to equipping sports enthusiasts with useful tools and insights to help them make informed betting decisions.