affiliation in D-1 is not as important as football, except for RPI rankings, which a team can rectify with a strong non-conference schedule (see Gonzaga).
I'm not saying I wouldn't rather be in the Pac or the Big XII for basketball because I think we would be competitive in either (especially the sucky Pac 10 right now), but WCC is actually a pretty decent league, with BYU, St. Mary's, and Gonzaga at the top. Even the middle teams are beating Pac 10 teams this year.