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Pete Thamel, ESPN
The Big 12’s conversations about potentially adding UConn as a member have stalled, commissioner Brett Yormark said Thursday morning.
“Following detailed discussions with my conference colleagues alongside UConn leadership, we have jointly decided to pause our conversations at this time,” Yormark said in a statement. “We will instead focus our attention and resources to ushering in this new era of college athletics.”
Last month, UConn officials met in person with Big 12 athletic directors at their league meetings in the Dallas area. The meeting included athletic director David Benedict and board chair Daniel Toscano, sources said. It included a conversation about how UConn would invest in football in order to be competitive in the Big 12.
The plan for UConn would have been coming into the league in football in 2031 and sooner in other sports.
Per sources, the talks stalled and ended up being tabled because of the timing. With the initial season of the 16-team league underway and schools facing uncertainty in the House v. NCAA case and looming decisions on revenue share, adding membership simply wasn’t a priority.
The decision to table the talks doesn’t come as a big surprise. Back when UConn emerged as part of the talks last month, an aura of skepticism hung over the Huskies potentially being added.
At the time, ESPN reported that there needed to be some votes added for the league to get the votes of 12 of the 16 Big 12 presidents it would have needed to add UConn. A source summed up the talks at the time this way:
“There’s a far distance between conversations and anything that would happen,” the high-ranking Big 12 source said.
The Huskies have long been coveted by Yormark, who sees college basketball as an undervalued asset. UConn has the best combination of men’s and women’s basketball teams in the country, as the men’s team has won the past two national championships. It also touches the New York market, which would in theory add value in any upcoming television deals.
Yormark said in the statement, “As Commissioner, it is my responsibility to explore a variety of value-creating opportunities on behalf of the Big 12.”
The Big 12 has been considered the country’s top basketball league in recent seasons, which would have only been amplified with the addition of the Huskies.
UConn has played in the Big East since the 2020-21 season after playing in the American Athletic Conference from 2013-14 through 2019-20.
In a similar vein, the Big 12 had talks with Gonzaga, but those did not come to fruition.
