Report: Big 12 ‘Seriously Considering’ Adding Gonzaga

A future slate at Gallagher-Iba Arena could feature Kansas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Arizona, Houston and, now, Gonzaga. Godspeed, Mike Boynton.

Brett McMurphy reported Monday morning that the Big 12 is “seriously considering” adding Gonzaga by the 2024 or 2025 academic year. The move could come within two weeks, according to McMurphy.

After adding Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State this summer, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said the conference was finished with expansion after reaching 16 members for 2024 with Oklahoma and Texas leaving. Yormark said that included expansion talks with Gonzaga and UConn ending.

Yormark’s New York roots were on display, though, as his mind changed in a college sports minute. A factor in the change, according to McMurphy, was Gonzaga’s willingness to accept less revenue compared to other conference members.

Gonzaga does not have a football program but is a basketball powerhouse. This move would mainly be to bolster men’s basketball, which the Big 12 is already considered to be the toughest conference in. Yormark has said publicly that he believes the Big 12’s revenue future is in men’s basketball, and this move would prove he has enough belief in that market to put almost all of his eggs in that basket. Adding Gonzaga would put the Big 12 at 17 members for men’s basketball.

Gonzaga would also join the Big 12 in baseball, women’s soccer, volleyball and men’s and women’s tennis, according to McMurphy.