As part of its 2023–24 men’s basketball preseason coverage, Sports Illustrated is rolling out previews for each of the six high-major conferences. Next up is the Big 12.
Consider this an ode to the 10-team Big 12. The league’s expansion begins this year, with four new teams joining the fray (three from the AAC, one from the WCC). Four more from the Pac-12 join in 2024–25, though by then Texas and Oklahoma will have departed for the SEC. The end of the double round-robin scheduling format is a blow to a league that has been historically good in recent years, including producing two of the past three national champions. In the short term, the bottom of the league gets watered down by some of these additions, but Houston’s arrival adds another potential elite team to the mix for ’23–24. Here’s how the league projects to shake out this season.
