After prying four teams from one of the most interesting leagues in college hoops, the Pac-12 has a chance to boost its hardwood reputation.

The Pac-12 Conference announced on Thursday it will be adding four schools from the Mountain West starting in a few years as the revival continues.

Washington State and Oregon State have long been college hoops also-rans, so adding Mountain West teams could boost the conference’s relevance.

Colorado State University helped form the Mountain West Conference that it's now leaving through secret meetings in 1998 with a handful of others.

The Pac-12 is poaching four Mountain West schools to stand alongside Oregon State and Washington State in an effort to preserve the league. Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State applied for Pac-12 membership and all have been accepted,

We spoke with a dozen people involved in the discussions and no one sees an easy move, making it hard to predict realignment resolution.

Cancel that bulk order of beet juice. San Diego State’s basketball team religiously drinks the nitrate-rich concoction in the days before games in high altitude, believing it enhances oxygen delivery to muscles that becomes more difficult for sea-level athletes venturing into the Rockies.