Big 12 Basketball: Examining 9 potential candidates for expansion

Cincinnati

One of the biggest effects of the realignment from a decade ago is that it left programs like Cincinnati and Connecticut out in the cold. By the time the conference carousel had finished its rapid turn, those programs were stuck in the AAC, a conference with its own struggles, especially when it comes to football.

The Bearcats have been a dynamic football program since bringing Luke Fickell aboard to resurrect the program and could immediately make their mark in the Big 12, especially without Oklahoma or Texas holding them back.

On the basketball side of things, Cincinnati has had a dynamic program, making nine straight NCAA Tournaments until a recent downturn under former coach John Brannen. The program should be looking up again very soon, but a new coach in Wes Miller is going to need time, especially if the Bearcats are suddenly seeing Big 12 instead of AAC opponents on a weekly basis. Geographically, this is actually not a horrible move, as the Bearcats are closer to the conference’s footprint than former conference mate West Virginia.

There would certainly be growing pains, but Cincinnati is a very sensible partner for the future of the Big 12. We’ll look at a few more AAC teams that could make the move to the Big 12, but all the reasons make sense. Even if basketball struggles in the near future, the football program could make waves right off the bat and get these Bearcats back into a real power conference again.