Players publicly call it innovative, but private lamentations lead Big 12 to scrap glass court

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It was marketed as innovative and game-changing, but the Big 12's new glass court has players and coaches privately lamenting the new playing surface.

The conference unveiled the intentions of utilizing the new surface made by ASB GlassFloor back in February, using terms such as "state-of-the-art" and "next-generation" to describe the full LED video sports floor that was previously used at the 2024 NBA All-Star game and in several EuroLeague and FIBA-sanctioned international competitions previously.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark praised the innovation in his annual pre-tournament press conference, and players have spoken in the affirmative when asked at the podium and in front of conference officials about the expensive backdrop that also enables "real-time branding, in-game activations, and data-driven visuals" to be displayed on the court during games.

"I like the idea of it, LED for the starting lineups," BYU freshman star AJ Dybantsa said. "You had the BYU logo, you had the Kansas State logo. I liked the idea for sure.

"But the only negative, I'd say, is it's a little slippery just because it's glass. But other than that, I like the idea of the court."

But after three days, 12 games, and an entire women's tournament a week prior on the new surface, the Big 12 confirmed Thursday night that it would transition the remainder of the men's tournament to a traditional hardwood court beginning with Friday's semifinals.

"I think it's the right thing to do," Kansas' Bill Self said after the Jayhawks' 78-73 win over TCU. "I'm excited that the talk tomorrow will be about the semifinals, as opposed to the court."

Multiple instances of a slippery surface when tracking loose balls, chasing down a fastbreak opportunity, and defending quicker guards have been noticed throughout both the men's and women's tournaments.

During Iowa State's 75-53 win over Texas Tech in Thursday's quarterfinals, Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson strained a muscle while slipping on the court, leaving the all-conference player to only watch the final eight minutes of the game from the bench.

Anderson slipped when his foot slid near his own free-throw line on an inbounds pass, and the 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard immediately grabbed at his groin area while Iowa State capitalized for a scoring play. After being examined by Texas Tech's medical staff, Anderson did not return to the game but remained with the team on the bench until the end.

"I'm feeling good," he said afterward, according to the Associated Press. "Obviously the floor is a bit slippery, so I think I just kind of misstepped or did a movement that caused me to slip and kind of ended up in a little unnatural position. That's what it was."

His coach responded diplomatically when asked about his own thoughts on the floor.

"It's definitely different," Texas Tech's Grant McCasland said. "It's obviously a different surface than we're used to playing on, and there were some challenging movements today, is what I would say. I think with size around the basket it's not (a big issue) but the quickness of guard play, and stop-and-start action — it just has a different response than what we're used to."

But back in the locker room, Anderson was more blunt on his opinion of the glass court.

"I think going back to the normal court is the way to go," he said, per KCTV in Kansas City.

Behind closed doors and in open locker rooms — further removed from Big 12 officials and national broadcasters — players and coaches were more blatant with their criticisms.

Slipping is common on most surfaces in sports, including traditional hardwood basketball courts. But the level of instability on the glass court has caused several players to remark candidly while walking to the locker room at halftime and after games about the court that has received mixed reviews.

A few players haven't been shy at voicing their opinions publicly.

"It's pretty bad, to be honest," Kansas State's Taj Manning said after the 15th-seeded Wildcats' 105-91 loss to BYU in the tournament's opening round, according to USA Today. "It's slippery. The lights and stuff caused (Kansas State forward Khamari McGriff) to get a migraine.

"It's a bad floor, they shouldn't bring it back, if you want my honest opinion. ... It's just an eyesore, it's constantly changing and stuff. With flashing different lights and all that. Nobody wants to play on that thing, just want the normal hardwood."

Arizona State guard Allen Mukeba postulated with The Athletic that the extra slippage is likely due to a combination of the new court and certain shoes that "don't really match that much."

BYU's rim-running center Keba Keita fell into a row of photographers after slipping during the Cougars' game against the Wildcats, but told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde that "it's nice," and didn't elaborate much on the court while speaking in the postgame locker room with an ice bag attached to his knee.

"It's cool," he added. "Good-looking court. But I don't know how I feel about playing on it."

That follows the prevailing sentiment from most players, that the state-of-the-art glass court is better for art than in play.

"It's really nice, for sure, having the logo over there," BYU's Khadim Mboup said. "But I think it's kind of slippery, especially when you're trying to pick up point guards like full court. It's kind of slippery, for sure."

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