Big 12 reportedly eyeing basketball powerhouse as an all-sport addition
Big 12 basketball coaches have reportedly thrown their support behind adding UConn to the conference, and multiple reports on Tuesday intimated that adding the reigning men’s basketball national champs would be an all-sports add, not just a basketball-specific move.
The Big 12 has long been said to have interest in multiple Pac-12 schools as it looks to cobble together more teams in an attempt to close the gap between it and the SEC and Big Ten. In recent weeks, there’s been more and more noise around the league honing in on UConn as a new member.
CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported on Tuesday that there are been “mutual admiration” at the presidential level between Gonzaga and the Big 12, and that there’s even more “momentum” for UConn joining the league.
The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported that Big 12 hoops coaches are in favor of adding the Huskies.
Football drives the Brinks truck, though, and McMurphy stated that UConn would be an all-sports add. The Husky football program hasn’t had a winning season since 2010 when the Big East was still in existence. They’ve played as a football independent the last 3 seasons, though they showed some life with a 6-7 campaign last fall in Jim Mora’s first year.
Big 12 basketball coaches in favor of adding UConn to Big 12, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. UConn “in the mix” as an all-sports addition to the Big 12, sources said
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 6, 2023
According to Dodd, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark believes that college basketball could be “worth more to more suitors” as streaming becomes more and more important.
However, a sitting Big 12 athletic director recently told The Oklahoman’s Barry Tramel that he doesn’t see “any movement” for a non-Power 5 team being added to the league.
“I do not think there’s enough support to get them across the finish line,” the unnamed athletic director told Tramel.