The topic of conference realignment had been quiet for a while, but things got exciting again on Friday when The Athletic reported for the first time that the Big 12 Conference was considering adding the University of Connecticut to the team.

Andrew Marchand and Justin Williams reported that Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark will meet with other conference officials next week to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported Friday that the Big 12 and UConn are “in talks” about allowing the Huskies to join the conference in all sports except football in 2026 and then in football in 2031.

McMurphy reported that UConn officials met with Big 12 officials in Dallas last week.

Yormark has reportedly had his eye on committing to UConn for some time, but Marchand and Williams reported it was unclear how much support he had from the presidents of the Big 12 schools.

As Marchand and Williams note, Yormark has long wanted to improve the Big 12’s men’s basketball product, which is already the best in the country.

In fact, there were reports last year that the Big 12 might add Gonzaga, long one of the top men’s basketball teams in the country. However, that never happened, and the Big 12 instead added former Pac-12 Conference schools Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State to the team.

Adding UConn would certainly make the team even better, as the Huskies have won the last two national championships and the women’s team has long been one of the best in the country.

In football, things are quite different, because the Huskies were one of the worst teams in the country for a long time.