Big 12 to highlight rivalries, including BYU-Utah, in expanding schedules to 20 games

KANSAS CITY — As the Big 12 continues to expand by bringing in four schools next year in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, one of the best college basketball conferences in America is only getting bigger and better.

That includes the schedule.

The league, which moved to an 18-game conference schedule with the additions of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF this year, plans to move to a 20-game conference schedule in men's basketball and 18 conference games in women's basketball, commissioner Brett Yormark said Tuesday during the Big 12 Tipoff at the T-Mobile Center, site of both the men's and women's basketball championships in 2024.

Clearly stating that "nothing has been cemented yet," the resulting schedule will combine a mix of geography, competitive balance, historic matchups and rivalries.

"Ultimately, it's what the coaches were looking to do as far as the 18," Yormark said. "You're going to play three schools twice, 12 once, and there will be a bye week. That's kind of where they settled. The men decided on a 20-game schedule. ... And the women's tournament is earlier."

The same priorities of geography, competitive balance, historic matchups and rivalries will also guide future football schedules, as well as Olympic sports. Yormark anticipates further details of the 2024 Big 12 football schedule "in the coming weeks," likely in December, he noted.

But the priorities will remain in place, including looking at the conference's new historic rivalries such as Arizona's Territorial Cup and the annual BYU-Utah clash that has been more consistent over the past decade on the hardwood than the football field.

"I think it's great for the conference. And our media networks like it, too," he said. "We're looking to do a lot of things, but rivalries matter. Historic matchups matter, but we also have to take into account geography and the student-athlete dynamic, as well. Certainly rivalries will be critically important. It's what our fans want, it's what our TV partners want, it's what our conference wants, so we're going to do that now."

The fifth commissioner of the Big 12 in his second season has performed three "on-boarding sessions" with the new schools at Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado; he plans to get to Utah next month to meet with athletes, coaches and campus leadership.

"There's been a lot of energy and excitement for coming into the conference next year," he said. "We're excited about the additions."

The conference will, once again, host its end-of-season tournament championships in Kansas City, for the first time both at the multipurpose arena that used to host the AFL's Kansas City Command.

Like last year, the Big 12 will try to add to the experience of the event again, including additional hospitality suites and premium seating, and bringing back DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O'Neal). Yormark also acknowledged he "heard" the complaints from local, regional and national media last year when they were moved from courtside to the hockey press box high above the arena.

This year, six floor seats will be reserved for each game, with each school allowed to reserve two seats for "beat writers of their choice" to cover the game. The remaining two seats will go to the Associated Press and the Kansas City Star.

"While nothing is definitive at this point, we are excited by the prospect of calling Kansas City home for years to come," Yormark said. "We hope to finalize this by the start of the basketball championships next spring."

Yormark also said the conference is currently working to secure an extension with the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, which will host the women's tournament March 7-12 and March 12-16 on the men's side, through 2031.

By then, the league could expand again.

Yormark declined to address specific expansion scenarios — recent reports have alluded to the conference again talking to Gonzaga about joining the Big 12 in the coming years, and Connecticut is routinely connected to the conference. But he didn't deny expansion was on the table.

"No different than last year," he said, "if an opportunity presents itself to me to strengthen this conference, I'm going to explore it."

The former COO of Jay-Z's Roc Nation and an executive with the Brooklyn Nets, Yormark continues to believe basketball is an undervalued property in college athletics. He sees the game as a way to expand the Big 12's footprint, grow the conference's brand, and take it to new markets — even internationally.

Kansas and Houston will play a regular-season men's and women's basketball game in Mexico City in December 2024, and the league is exploring football games in Monterrey in 2026. Yormark also said conversations around playing women's soccer and baseball games in Mexico have also been on the table.

"No sport connects better with culture than basketball. It's also a catalyst for international growth," he said. "Basketball is growing in popularity, and it resonates with younger audiences. It will continue to grow and will play a huge role in our industry."

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