I think the PAC 12 is where the Big 12 was when we won our first championship. The Big 12 had top notch programs, top level coaches and a strong tradition in WBB with Tech, UT, Kansas, K State and ISU and BU as the up and comer. We beat each other up.
The PAC 12 coasted for awhile and eschewed making a monetary commitment to its WBB programs outside of Stanford. USC had been stout, of course, with Cheryl Miller, but that success didn't continue on. Now, the conference has tried to elevate WBB, making investments in its coaches and upping its competition level.
Conversely, the the Big 12 saw several of its top coaches retire or be encouraged to move on, and the successors weren't able to maintain the program's previous level. I think we might be headed back up, with a new coach at Tech and TCU's ascension, but places like UT, KU, OU, OSU and, eventually ISU are going to have to make some coaching decisions st some point, and it will be interesting to see how they approach filling those vacancies.