In these ever-changing, ever-uncertain times in college athletics, the Big 12 is not about to slow down just because nobody knows how things will shift over the next 12-plus months. League chieftain Brett Yormark is arguably the most ambitious and aggressive commissioner in college sports, and his constantly evolving visions for making the Big 12 the predominant innovative and outside-the-box league will continue apace over the next calendar year. Will we see Big 12 basketball benefit as a result?
That's one pertinent question ahead of the 2026-27 season. The league is coming off a prideful 2025-26, having placed three teams on the top two seed lines of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003. The best of the bunch was No. 1 seed Arizona making its first Final Four showing in 25 years.
And from a talent perspective, the Big 12 is fresh off its best season ever. It set a conference record with 13 NBA Draft picks in June, including four in the top 10, led by No. 1 overall selection AJ Dybantsa. The talent won't be as widespread throughout the league in 2026-27, but the Big 12 may well have three more top-10 picks in its ranks.
No. 1 prospect Tyran Stokes is at Kansas, No. 3 in the class of '26, Caleb Holt, will wear an Arizona uniform and No. 6 Bruce Branch is the successor to Dybantsa at Brigham Young. The women's side has some high-end players as well, in addition to rising stars in its coaching ranks. "We have some star power still, so that part is exciting, but I think just because of the nature of what college athletics has been over the past several months, everyone's looking to see what these teams look like once we start bouncing the ball," Big 12 associate commissioner and chief basketball officer Brian Thornton told CBS Sports.
We'll get our first formal look in mid-October, when the league switches up its media days format. The Big 12 opted to have eight schools apiece over two days, with the men's and women's teams intermingling. Previously, the Big 12 had the 16 women's teams on one day and the men on a separate day.
"It's part of our overall plan within the league to unify our basketball product more under one umbrella, and this is a flagship opportunity for us to do that," Thornton said. "We always want to try and enhance the experience." The league wants its coaches and players to engage more and have cross-promotion both for in-person media settings and with content captures for social media. Like it has done for years now, the conference will continue to hold its media days at the T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City, which has hosted the Big 12 Tournament since 2010.
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