Big 12 Basketball: Hoops perspective on conference expansion

Big 12 basketball may have some new rivalries born if the conference ends up expanding.

It was announced earlier this month that the Big 12 could hold a conference championship game in football without 12 teams. Almost immediately, Oklahoma president David Boren made public his desire to see the conference expand and work on T.V. deals before even thinking about a championship game.

A lot of teams have been thrown around as possible new members, ranging from BYU to Houston to Central Florida. I know that college football is king and that the programs are being examined almost solely for their impact on that sport. I want to argue, however, that the Big 12 would be remiss to forget about the second most successful college sport, basketball.

Pick 1: It’s not a secret that Cincinnati is one of the Big 12’s primary targets for a new member. Their football program is always solid and they would immediately become West Virginia’s neighbor. Their basketball program is even more impressive, though.

Mick Cronin has done great things with the Bearcats. He has led the team to five straight NCAA tournament appearances and has this year’s team in the top 15 for ppg allowed. Cincinnati would immediately become a good contrast to a high-flying conference known for tremendous offense.

More from Big 12

Pick 2: A team that would make a ton of sense for the Big 12 is BYU. The Cougars are a well-known commodity in football and would replace the mountain slot that was vacated when Colorado left the conference. BYU also really wants to be in the Big 12. It would be foolish not to bring them in on that alone.

Let’s not forget that BYU is a quality basketball program as well. They’ve been in the Big Dance eight of the ten years that Dave Rose has led the program. This was also the team that gave the country Jimmer Fever a few years ago during the Jimmer Fredette era. I, for one, would be pumped to see schools like Kansas or Iowa State have to go to BYU’s Marriott Center every year.

Pick 3: One or more of the American Conference schools outside of Cincinnati. The names mentioned in this group are often Memphis, South Florida, Central Florida, Houston, and Tulane. Central Florida is among the fastest growing fan bases in college football and any of those put the Big 12 more in the biggest recruiting territories, specifically Florida.

I hate all these options. Houston would give the conference a FIFTH school in Texas, which would be a horrible move for the overall geography and fan base. As far as basketball goes, the teams range from average in the case of Houston or Memphis, to incredibly bad if you look at Tulane or South Florida. I mean, if the Big 12 wants to add a punching bag to the conference basketball schedule, by all means. It would just be the equivalent move to when the Big 10 added Rutgers.

Pick 4: Connecticut. This is the oddity if you are only looking at football. They aren’t a particularly strong program and the state isn’t a hotbed of recruiting talent. This would be primarily a TV move, because the sports world still revolves around The Mothership in Bristol, CT.

Jan 23, 2016; Hartford, CT, USA; Georgetown Hoyas head coach John Thompson III watches from the sideline as they take on the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at XL Center. UConn defeated Georgetown 68-62. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

However, this would be the homerun of basketball additions. Connecticut is among the nations premier men’s teams thanks to decades of success under now-retired Jim Calhoun. They are also only two years removed from winning the national title. They are also having a fairly decent, if underwhelming, year this season.

The other thing to keep in mind is that if the school joins for all sports; it would bring the UCONN women along for the ride. The Huskies have only lost five games in the past six seasons to date. They have also won three straight national titles and four of the past six. I know that women’s hoops isn’t a huge money sport, but adding UCONN would lend a tremendous dimension to the Big 12; a conference with four teams currently in the top 25.

So many things are in flux at this stage. The Big 12 needs to decide whether they are adding teams at all before they get to decide which ones they want. If I had my pick, I would take either UCONN or Cincy to add a school closer to the West Virginia, and BYU to go west.

Next: Big 12 is the Nation's Best Hoops Conference

These are all great brands and would provide competitive balance to schools like Oklahoma and Kansas. It would be a huge mistake to focus just on football and TV when programs like these could add so much in other areas.

Home/Big 12