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Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark crowns league as the "No. 1 basketball conference in America"; credits realignment
The Big 12 is known by many for having some of the best teams in college sports, particularly in basketball. For the league's commissioner Brett Yormark, he believes the conference is the best compared to the others.
Yormark was on ESPN's "College GameDay" show with Rece Davis ahead of the No. 5 Houston Cougars' matchup with the No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones. He highlighted conference realignment as a big reason for the league taking a major step toward being the best college basketball conference.
“Over the last five or 10 years, there’s no debate who the No. 1 basketball conference in America has been — and it’s been the Big 12. And if you think about it, with realignment over the last two years, we got better. Think about Arizona, think about Houston here. Think about BYU. That being said, I do expect us to have a presence in San Antonio.
“That is the expectation when you think about Big 12 basketball, and when we’re there, I think it further credentializes us as the number one basketball conference in America.”
How Big 12 standings look so far
Considering the Big 12's performance in the 2024-25 season, it makes sense to see why commissioner Brett Yormark has that stance.
As of Week 16, there are five teams in the conference that are ranked in the AP Top 25. They boast elite records as some of the best programs in the country while making their respective cases to be seen as national championship contenders.
Seven squads boast a winning percentage over .600, with three having 20 or more wins with games still left to be played. The No. 5 Houston Cougars currently hold the top spot in the standings, boasting a 23-4 overall record with a 15-1 display in Big 12 play to show for it.
Following suit are the No. 19 Arizona Wildcats, No. 9 Texas Tech Red Raiders and No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones. The last ranked squad in the conference, the No. 23 Kansas Jayhawks, is seventh in the conference, having an 8-7 record in league play.
How things go down with several games left to be played will be intriguing for fans to see. However, the conference has shown it is a force to be reckoned with.