Arizona Wildcats’ New Conference Home Considering New Member
The Arizona Wildcats have been members of the Big 12 Conference for barely a month, and they’re already in a position where they may have to take a vote on new membership.
The conference and UConn officials reportedly met in Dallas last week about the potential for the Huskies to join the conference, per multiple reports, including Yahoo! Sports. Those same reports noted the Big 12 will hold a board call next week with each program, including Arizona, and will be led by commissioner Brett Yormark.
The talks have been classified in the range of being “serious negotiations” to “premature,” as no vote was taken and no vote is scheduled, according to ESPN.
Where Arizona may stand on this issue is unclear. There is also no clear timeline for the Big 12 to make a decision.
Still, there are early contours to a potential UConn membership. If the Huskies are accepted as a member, they would likely join the league in 2026 for all sports except football, which is independent.
For football, there would be a ramp-up to the program joining the Big 12 as early as 2031. One of the sticking points, per the report, is UConn’s investment in the sport.
The Huskies are one of two remaining independent programs, the other being Notre Dame. Football plays its home games at Rentschler Field in Hartford, more than a half hour away from campus.
But the play for the Big 12 is basketball, which was part of the reason why the league invited Arizona, along with three other Pac-12 schools, to join the conference this year.
The Huskies have won the last two national championships, making them the first back-to-back champions in men’s college basketball since Florida in 2006-07. Before UConn accomplished that, the Big 12 won the previous two national titles — Kansas in 2022 and Baylor in 2021.
The women’s program has won more national titles than any other program in the country.
Arizona joins the Big 12 with a men’s team that will certainly be in the preseason AP Top 25 and could be in the Top 10. The Wildcats have been to each of the last three NCAA Tournaments under coach Tommy Lloyd, and have reached the Sweet 16 twice.
Former coach Lute Olson led the Wildcats to their only national title in 1997.
Adia Barnes has elevated the women’s program since her arrival in 2016. The Wildcats have reached the NCAA Tournament four times, including a trip to the 2021 national championship game, along with a WNIT title.
