UConn and the Big 12 were reportedly in talks Friday morning about the Huskies potentially joining the conference in all sports, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
UConn athletic director David Benedict, board chairman Daniel Toscano met with Big 12 athletic directors in person in Dallas.
No vote has been taken on a potential Huskies recruit, and none are close to happening. There has been backlash among several members which will complicate the process.
However, negotiations progressed until UConn athletic director David Benedict and board chairman Daniel Toscano met with Big 12 athletic directors in person in Dallas last week to present their case.
“There is a long way between negotiations and anything that can happen.” It's a story on UConn and the Big 12, with ESPN sources saying there's a ways to go — and some AD skepticism to overcome — before UConn is added.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 23, 2024
Discussions focused on football funding and how UConn can compete when it joins the league in 2031, sources told Thamel.
UConn made its case for how the Huskies would be ready to build and spend money on football like the current Big 12 programs. The school also highlighted how quickly it became competitive in the Big East football conference after joining in 2004.
A Big 12 board call with the league's president is scheduled
A meeting of the Big 12 board is scheduled for next week with the president of the division to get specific information. The 2031 delay in football will give UConn an opportunity to address funding and talent development through the NIL.
“I think the word is 'premature,'” said a Big 12 executive. The moderators have not seen the case.”
More games will be added soon. The school can negotiate its departure or wait the 27-month waiting period to leave the Great East.
According to a report by ESPN, several schools agree to add the Huskies. Still, many athletic directors in the Big 12 have spoken out against it. Many other plans have yet to be decided. The vote will come down to 12 of the 16 presidents of this unit.
Additionally, questions remain as to how much the move will benefit the conference in football. UConn is best known for its men's and women's basketball programs.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is confident that UConn basketball will continue to be profitable
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was optimistic about basketball being the financial driver of the league's television contracts for years to come.
UConn is coming off back-to-back national titles in men's basketball. The Huskies also boasted the NCAA's best brand in women's basketball in the past generation.
In addition, UConn's return to men's basketball came under coach Dan Hurley. The school rejoined the Big East for the 2020-21 season after playing in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) from 2013-14 to 2019-20.
Since the Big 12 has always been one of the best basketball conferences in the country, adding UConn would make the league even more competitive. The 16-team Big 12 added four new members — Houston, BYU, Cincinnati, and UCF — last year and will welcome Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State to it. this year.
UConn men's basketball has been around since 1901
Conn has fielded a men's college basketball team since 1901. The men's team played in the Athletic League of New England State Colleges from 1900 to 1923. It also played in the New England Conference from 1923 to 1946, and in the Yankee Conference from 1946. until 1976.
As an independent from 1976 to 1979, UConn then became a founding member of the original Big East Conference in 1979. The UConn men's college basketball team has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 36 times. It has won the national championship six times, in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, and 2024.
The men's program also reached the Final Four in 2009. Conn has also played 13 games in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), which he won in 1988.
As for the UConn women's college basketball program, it has appeared in a record number of consecutive Final Fours from 2008 to 2022. The Huskies also won 111 straight games.
It started with a win against Creighton University on November 23, 2014, and ended on March 31, 2017. That was the day a buzzer-beater at the end of overtime led to a 66-64 loss to Mississippi State in 2017. NCAA Tournament Final Four.
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