In late August, we did this same piece for football, so now it’s time for the basketball version. As  the Conference of (real NCAA) Champions as we know it winds down, it’s time to look back at the history of the league in hoops. The teams in the conference won a whopping 15 NCAA championships, although one school below certainly won most of those titles—but you may be surprised by who won the other ones.

Most of this is common knowledge, but let’s rank the schools in terms of basketball while in the league:

14. Montana (7 seasons, 1924-1929 & 1937-1938)

There’s not much to share here about the Grizzlies’ brief time in the PCC. They went a combined 51-77 while never posting better than a .400 mark in single-season conference play (1927-1928). The best overall season for Montana was the 1924-1025 campaign, when the team posted a 9-10 record. Again, most people don’t even know that the Grizz were once a part of the league, so there’s not much more to say here about it.

13. Idaho (38 seasons, 1921-1959)

With a .455 winning percentage overall, the Vandals actually won 2 conference titles during their time in the PCC. One of those titles came during the team’s first year in the league: 1921-1922, when Idaho posted a 7-0 record in league play. However, the Vandals never reached the NCAA Tournament as a member of the conference, so that leaves a small legacy behind for Idaho. Still, those conference titles are worth noting.

12. Washington State (104 seasons, 1916-present)

The Cougs, like every other current member of the conference, have an all-time winning record overall in the sport (.515), which says a lot about out-of-conference scheduling, doesn’t it? WSU did reach 1 Final Four in its history (1941), among a mere 6 March Madness appearances, however. But the Cougars’ most recent tournament invite came in 2008, which was over 15 years ago now. WSU also has won 2 conference titles.

11. Arizona State (46 seasons, 1979-present)

We’re surprised the Sun Devils aren’t higher on this list, especially with the .537 winning percentage, overall. But ASU has never won a conference title in this sport, despite 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. And only 4 times have the Sun Devils finished ranked in the Associated Press poll. Despite turning out some very good NBA players, ASU just hasn’t had a strong basketball program. We know why.

10. Oregon State (103 seasons, 1916-present)

The Beavers have had moments of greatness over the years, as they’ve earned a .544 overall win percentage. That includes 15 NCAA bids, 12 conference titles, 7 AP poll finishes, 1 conference tournament title, and 1 trip the NCAA Final Four. A lot of colleges would love to have those stats, so it says something about the overall quality of this league that those details rank just tenth overall in the history of this mighty conference.

9. Utah (13 seasons, 2012-present)

The Utes had a pretty good reputation before they joined the conference, and since doing so, they’ve posted a .552 winning percentage overall. However, Utah has made the NCAA Tournament just twice in the last 12 years, and the Utes also only have 2 AP poll finishes, as well. Thus, despite the overall winning percentage, it hasn’t been the most successful era of Utah basketball. Perhaps the Utes will fare better in the Big XII.

8. Oregon (102 seasons, 1917-present)

Seems a little odd that the Nike flagship campus doesn’t have that strong of a basketball pedigree, but it’s reality, despite the .562 overall winning percentage. With just 15 NCAA invites, the Ducks aren’t a regular contender for much. They’ve won 8 conference titles, although Oregon has added 5 conference tournament crowns in recent years. The Ducks do have 2 Final Four appearances, though, and one NCAA title (1939).

7. California (108 seasons, 1916-present)

The Golden Bears won the NCAA Tournament in 1959, among their 3 Final Four appearances and their 19 March Madness invites. Overall, Cal has a .562 winning percentage in the sport, just slightly better than Oregon. Yet the 14 conference championships do stand out—third most among all Pac-12 teams, in fact. The Golden Bears oddly have just 5 AP poll finishes, however, which doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense, really.

6. Stanford (105 seasons, 1917-present)

The Cardinal also have 1 NCAA championship (1942), although it was a long time ago. Overall, the .566 winning percentage puts Stanford right above its main rival, though, so there’s that. The other stats? 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 regular-season league titles, 10 AP poll finishes, 2 Final Fours, and 1 conference tourney crown. It will be interesting to see how Cal and Stanford fit into their new ACC home.

5. USC (102 seasons, 1922-present)

For all the Trojans’ football excellence, they haven’t been the best at basketball too often. Well, never, in terms of national titles, although USC has won 7 conference titles and 1 league tournament trophy. Overall, the Trojans have a .578 winning percentage in hoops, which also isn’t that bad. But it’s just never translated into national success, with just 21 March Madness bids and only 11 AP poll finishes to the season. Oh well!

4. Washington (108 seasons, 1916-present)

The Huskies’ .590 winning percentage is on the cusp of being pretty outstanding, despite the program never winning an NCAA title. They did make the Final Four once, though, among the 17 NCAA Tournament appearances for the school. Washington also has collected 12 conference titles, 8 AP poll finishes, and 3 league tourney wins. The Huskies have forged a good balance between football and basketball, for sure.

3. Colorado (13 seasons, 2012-present)

It’s been a brief time in the conference for the Buffaloes, but like Utah in football, it’s been relatively successful for Colorado. The .614 win percentage may be a bit skewed since modern scheduling is designed differently than it used to be, that’s for sure. Still, the Buffs have made 5 NCAA tourney trips as a member of the league, and they did win the conference tournament once, too. It’s a small sample size—but a good one.

2. UCLA (97 seasons, 1928-present)

Generally, most people would think the Bruins should be atop this list, and of course, in almost every way, they are: 52 NCAA Tournament appearances, 43 AP poll finishes, 32 conference titles, 19 Final Fours, 11 national championships, and 4 league tourney titles. The only thing that UCLA does not lead the conference in, really, is overall winning percentage, as the Bruins “only” have a .687 mark there, thanks to some drama.

1. Arizona (46 seasons, 1979-present)

Speaking of drama, we’re not sure how Arizona has escaped it, but the Wildcats certainly are the reason the Sun Devils haven’t been very good in this sport. With a .714 winning percentage since joining the conference, Arizona leads even UCLA in that category. Other stats? 34 NCAA tourney invites, 27 AP poll finishes, 17 conference titles, 9 league tourney wins, 4 Final Four appearances, and 1 national title (1997).