Big 12's discussions to add UConn have stalled, commish says - ESPN

The Big 12's conversations about potentially adding UConn as a member have stalled, commissioner Brett Yormark said Thursday morning.

«Following detailed discussions with my conference colleagues alongside UConn leadership, we have jointly decided to pause our conversations at this time,» Yormark said in a statement. «We will instead focus our attention and resources to ushering in this new era of college athletics.»

Last month, UConn officials met in person with Big 12 athletic directors at their league meetings in the Dallas area. The meeting included athletic director David Benedict and board chair Daniel Toscano, sources said. It included a conversation about how UConn would invest in football in order to be competitive in the Big 12.

The plan for UConn would have been coming into the league in football in 2031 and sooner in other sports.

Per sources, the talks stalled and ended up being tabled because of the timing. With the initial season of the 16-team league underway and schools facing looming decisions in the House case and figuring out revenue share, adding membership simply wasn't a priority.

The decision to table the talks doesn't come as a big surprise. Back when UConn emerged as part of the talks last month, an aura of skepticism hung over the Huskies potentially being added.

At the time, ESPN reported that there needed to be some votes added for the league to get the votes of 12 of the 16 Big 12 presidents it would have needed to add UConn. A source summed up the talks at the time this way:

«There's a far distance between conversations and anything that would happen,» the high-ranking Big 12 source said.

The Huskies have long been coveted by Yormark, who sees college basketball as an undervalued asset.