UConn, Gonzaga won't join Big 12 despite talks: Brett Yormark

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The Big 12 has added a number of schools as part of the massive shakeup in college sports, but Gonzaga and UConn will not be joining the conference. 

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told “The Marchand & Ourand Sports Media Podcast” that conversations with the two basketball powerhouses had occurred.

However, they ended after the conference’s “dream scenario” came to fruition when it added Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado in a raid of the Pac-12 last week. 

“I did have conversations with UConn and Gonzaga, and unfortunately, things didn’t work out, only because the dream scenario unfolded for us, so those conversations are no longer,” Yormark said during the appearance on the podcast. “I’m a big admirer of both of those programs.

“They’re fantastic for all the right reasons, but I’m focused on the transition of those four [schools] right now.”

There had been murmurs that both schools had been possible marks for the Big 12 after Colorado moved to the conference.

Had it not been for the additions of the former Pac-12 schools, UConn and Gonzaga would have likely been strong fits for Yormark’s future plans for the Big 12. 

While speaking with the podcast, Yormark mentioned that basketball had been “undervalued” in the ongoing conference expansion conversation, with football dominating the thinking. 

The Big 12 is already one of the best basketball conferences in the NCAA and had finished first in KenPom’s conference rankings in eight of the past 10 seasons.

Arizona and Houston’s move to the Big 12 should help keep that status. 

“We are the deepest conference, I think, in America when it comes to football, but arguably, we are the No. 1 conference in basketball, and I’m excited about that,” he said.

The commissioner did express some remorse over how the Big 12 took four schools from the Pac-12, which is now down to just four schools itself. 

He said he has spoken with Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff about what transpired. 

“I still have a little bit of a knot in my stomach,” Yormark said. “I never want my gain to be anyone else’s loss. On the heels of not just Colorado but of all Four Corner schools coming, I texted [Kliavkoff], reached out to him. … He and I spoke last week and, effectively, I said, ‘I’m sorry it came down to this and I’m sorry I put you in a tough position, but this was something we had to do. 

“’And I’m sorry that my gain is your loss.’ And we had a very collegial conversation. [Kliavkoff] was fantastic.”

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