Big 12 Basketball: Pros and cons of recent serious expansion candidates

Connecticut

Less than two months ago, Dan Hurley led this Huskies program to a national championship in men’s basketball, the program’s fifth in the last quarter century. Though each of those champions has been vastly different, both in player makeup and leadership, this very fact is proof that Connecticut has a dynamic basketball program. Just a few years ago, the Huskies were virtually at rock bottom, with Hurley picking up the pieces in the AAC, but now they held their own in the Big East and just cut down the nets again.

This is a very attractive candidate for the Big 12 to consider and a move that would strengthen the basketball of the league even further. Now that the Huskies are back on top of the basketball world, making a proactive move like this becomes a stellar plan, especially with the money involved. The move to the Big 12 would lead to a significant increase dollar-wise for their athletics programs, but it would come at a cost.

While the Big 12 would certainly be glad to add another market to the league, the Huskies would also be dealing with increased travel costs. Connecticut is really far away from most of the rest of the league, with West Virginia the closest program to the Huskies. Additionally, the Huskies haven’t exactly had the most prosperous football program in recent years and would need a serious upgrade to compete in the Big 12.