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The Big 12 could be on the verge of increasing its basketball profile, and by a whole lot.
According to a report from Pete Thamel, Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford met with the commissioner of the Big 12 in person last week to talk about the school potentially joining the conference.
Sources:Gonzaga AD Chris Standiford met with Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark in person in Texas last week about Gonzaga potentially joining the Big 12. This is part of broader discussions that have unfolded in recent weeks between the Big 12 and Gonzaga. https://t.co/MbaTEHfveF
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 2, 2022
Standiford met with Brett Yormark as part of bigger discussions that have already taken place between the private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, and the Big 12 Conference.
The talks between Gonzaga and the Big 12 back up Yormark’s promise that the Big 12 would be aggressive and “open for business,” and of course could also drastically shift the landscape of college basketball.
The report indicated that Gonzaga has been exploring its conference options while it has emerged as one of the premier basketball programs in the country. According to sources, the Pac-12 and Big East have also been engaged with Gonzaga, but the extent of those talks are uncertain.
Gonzaga currently plays in the West Coast Conference, a mid-major league that the Bulldogs have consistently dominated as they have risen into being 1 of the top programs in college basketball over the past quarter-century. The school has been transparent with the West Coast Conference about its conversations elsewhere.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
