The Big 12 Conference could become an even bigger basketball stronghold, because Reports show The conference is in early talks to add UConn, the two-time defending champion, to the team.

Last season, the Big 12 cemented its place in the college basketball rankings with outstanding performances from its conference members, with teams like Kansas and Baylor always providing excitement and in their usual dominant positions, and Iowa State, Texas Tech and the newly added Cougars from Houston and BYU adding an extra punch (a knockout punch in Houston’s case) to a strong schedule.

This season’s group has become even stronger, as top team Arizona and up-and-coming Colorado were poached in the acquisition of the “4 Corners Schools” of the now-defunct Pac-12.

It seems that the Big 12 is putting its focus on basketball while the other conferences are realigning themselves to become the best football leagues in the nation. There have been discussions for some time about further expansion of the Big 12, particularly to include UConn and even Gonzaga–a school that has no football team.

This focus on basketball is brilliant from an NCAA doomsday believer’s perspective. While football is clearly the most profitable sport nationally, the Big 12 Conference has already lost its biggest football franchises to the SEC’s Texas and Oklahoma, and it’s no secret that Utah always keeps one foot out in case the Big 10 or SEC comes calling.

The Big 12 will never match the football power of its competitors, but by being the third-best football league while extending its lead as the premier basketball league, the Big 12 will remain relevant if expansion continues as expected. Confidence may be the Big 12’s greatest strength, as the lack of it has been the Pac-12’s undoing.

For the original wave of expansion schools BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, seeing the Big 12 make moves to increase their longevity is like finding out on your first day at Disney that the company is going to acquire LucasFilm, Marvel and 21st Century Fox. You’re just glad you got on board when you did because things can only get better from here.

Before you tell all your colleagues that the Big 12 just became the strongest league in the history of college sports and you already feel sorry for the SEC, I would recommend you curb your enthusiasm for a moment. Saying this new addition is a “surefire” acquisition would be premature, as talks are still in the early stages and some schools still need to be convinced before the champions are voted into the league. As it stands, 12 out of 16 votes would fall in favor of UConn’s inclusion.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, UConn is all in. He reported that UConn officials, including its athletic director David Benedict and its board chairman Daniel Toscano, have already met in person with Big 12 athletic directors this month.

Surprisingly, UConn’s reasoning largely revolved around how strong their investment in football would be, as the school wanted to add football to the Big 12 in 2031, hoping that the program’s added spending power, coupled with an influx of better recruits and a bloated NIL, would prepare them for their jump into a power conference.

ESPN repeated Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark insists basketball can be a driving factor in the financial aspects of television and media deals.

“Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is optimistic that basketball will be a stronger financial driver for the league’s television contracts in the coming years. UConn is the sport’s dominant program and serves the nation’s most important market, with a strong presence in the New York area. UConn has won two consecutive national titles in men’s basketball and boasts the nation’s best brand in women’s basketball for the past generation.”

– Thamel, ESPN

UConn would certainly be a strong addition for basketball, but their history as a football program hasn’t been impressive. To get into the Big 12, they’ll need to convince ADs from around the league that they can become viable with more exposure, NIL and power conference resources.

In the age of college sports, money is more important than ever. Connecticut’s elite program must focus on football and convince its hopefuls that they are an asset to the league and not an uncoordinated nephew who wants to play catch in the front yard.

This situation is still in its early stages, but stay tuned for more news on the Big 12 expansion.