Big 12 had talks with Gonzaga, UConn, commissioner Brett Yormark says - ESPN

The Big 12 will not add Gonzaga and UConn, two basketball powerhouses, after initial conversations about the potential moves, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said Wednesday.

Yormark joined John Ourand and Andrew Marchand on the «Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast» to discuss the league's evolution after the Big 12 recently added former Pac-12 schools Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado. Last year, the Big 12 announced the additions of Houston, Cincinnati, UCF and BYU.

Yormark said talks about possibly adding Gonzaga, a West Coast Conference powerhouse, and UConn, the reigning national champion in men's basketball and the most dominant force in women's basketball over the past 20 years, have ended due to those recent expansion moves.

«I did have conversations with UConn and Gonzaga, and unfortunately, things didn't work out, only because the dream scenario unfolded for us, so those conversations are no longer,» Yormark said on the podcast. «I'm a big admirer of both of those programs. They're fantastic for all the right reasons, but I'm focused on the transition of those four [new schools] right now.»

Yormark's moves have not only enhanced the league's football strength — despite Oklahoma and Texas being set to leave for the SEC in 2024 — but also increased the power of America's best men's basketball league. The Big 12 has finished first in KenPom's conference rankings in eight of the past 10 seasons and captured two of the past three national championships. The addition of Arizona and Houston should allow the Big 12 to maintain that crown for the foreseeable future. Yormark said he believes basketball is «undervalued» in the conversation about expansion.

«We are the deepest conference, I think, in America