Big 12 Basketball

Big 12 league officials are set to meet next week for an "in-depth discussion" regarding the possibility of extending an invite to UConn to join the conference.

Andrew Marchand and Justin Williams of the Athletic reported the latest on Big 12's pursuit of UConn.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark reportedly was speaking with the school since last summer about expansion before the league ultimately extended accepted invites to Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah.

Yormark said last August that the conversations with UConn were no longer active. However, multiple Big 12 administrators told The Athletic that talks continued again this year, although the commissioner "did not yet have a consensus internally to extend an invite."

UConn would need 12 of 16 league members to accept the school into the league "in a president-level vote."

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports also reported news on UConn, noting that the school was in "serious expansion negotiations" with the Big 12.

"In the latest version of the deal, UConn would join the conference as a member in all sports except football starting, at latest, in 2026," Dellenger wrote.

"Contingent upon the school meeting certain investment thresholds in the sport, UConn football would join the Big 12 in 2031."

As both The Athletic and Dellenger noted, the key here is a power-packed college basketball conference in the Big 12 adding UConn, which has won six men's titles and 11 women's championships since 1995.

"Yormark has repeatedly expressed his desire to position the Big 12 as the nation's premier basketball conference, suggesting college hoops is 'undervalued' by TV partners," The Athletic wrote. Dellenger noted UConn's potential alignment with a "power conference brand."

And then there's the fact that UConn's football program, which is just one of two remaining independent Division I-FBS programs (alongside Notre Dame), would benefit greatly from joining a power conference.

"A football move is imperative for the school," Dellenger wrote. "As the last remaining independent football program in the country — excluding outlier Notre Dame — UConn receives the smallest portion of revenue from the College Football Playoff."

Dellenger ultimately noted that "nothing is imminent," but this is obviously a situation to watch as an elite college basketball program could be making its way to the Big 12.

An anonymous coaches poll conducted by Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports pegs Kansas as the top men's college basketball team for the 2024-25 season.

The question (Who will be the best team this season?) is part of CBS Sports' 2024 Candid Coaches series, which includes answers from more than 100 Division I coaches.

Kansas received 35.6 percent of the votes, followed by Alabama (27.9 percent), Houston (13.5 percent), Duke (9.6 percent) and UConn (7.7 percent). Arizona, Baylor, Gonzaga and North Carolina also received votes.

Kansas was ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll last season, but the Jayhawks sputtered down the stretch and lost 89-68 to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

But there's no denying KU's talent this upcoming season. On the transfer front, Kansas added Wisconsin guard AJ Storr (16.8 PPG) and Alabama guard Rylen Griffen, who scored 11.2 PPG en route to helping guide the Crimson Tide to the Final Four.

The Jayhawks also return three key players from last year, including big man Hunter Dickinson (17.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG), forward K.J. Adams (12.6 PPG on 60.1 percent shooting) and point guard Dajuan Harris Jr., whose 6.5 assists per game ranked second in the Big 12.

One coach said the following to CBS Sports on Kansas:

"They had a down year for them -- and I think Bill Self's press conference at the end of the year said it all. He will be more motivated and locked in than ever before. They have a strong group of returners, with Hunter Dickinson being a potential player of (the) year. AJ Storr could prove to be a huge pickup for them, with Griffen from Alabama being a major sleeper too."

On paper, Kansas is clearly a legitimate national championship contender and a host of coaches agree.

The Jayhawks will begin their quest for their fifth national championship on Oct. 29 against Washburn.

The SEC and the Big 12 will have all 16 teams in each conference participating in their respective conference tournaments in 2025, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Rothstein also noted that the ACC and the Big Ten will not operate similarly. In both conferences, only 15 of the 18 teams will be eligible to compete in each conference tournament.

The 2024 Big 12 men's basketball tournament marked the first Big 12 event with 14 schools after the additions of BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston.

The conference will now feature 16 teams vying for a Big 12 title with the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. The departure of Oklahoma and Texas kept the total number of teams at 16 after the schools joined the SEC.

The Sooners and Longhorns will bring the SEC to 16 teams during the 2024-25 season, while all schools will be eligible to participate in the conference tournament. Auburn, the reigning tournament champions, will attempt to defend its 2024 title.

The ACC previously announced that only 15 schools would be able to participate in the 2025 tournament following the additions of California and Stanford from the Pac-12 as well as SMU from the AAC.

While it would have been extremely unlikely for a potential No. 18 seed to take home the conference tournament title, the decision to shrink the number of eligible teams was still a surprising development after NC State secured the ACC championship in 2024 as the No. 10 seed.

As for the Big Ten, the tournament field will expand from 14 to 15 teams during the 2024-25 season after the conference previously allowed all 14 teams to compete.

While the Big 12 and SEC have experienced numerous additions and departures, all 16 teams will still be able to contend for a title during the 2025 tournaments.

Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson will miss the entire 2024-25 season after suffering a torn patellar tendon during a scrimmage at the Bill Self Basketball Camp.

Self released a statement saying he was "crushed" by the news:

Jackson's injury cut the camp scrimmage short, as the game ended after he was taken off the floor.

"I saw the fall, but I didn't really see what happened because I was on the bench," center Hunter Dickinson said. "But it was good to see him being able to walk it off on his own … Hoping for the best, not sure, but we got a really good training staff that'll get him back as soon as he can."

Jackson averaged 4.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during his freshman season. A 4-star prospect coming out of high school, Jackson was expected to see more extended playing time in his second season under Self.

Dajuan Harris Jr. will have even more responsibility in his senior season with Jackson out of the lineup. Transfer guard Zeke Mayo will also be thrust into the spotlight.

Kansas enters the 2024-25 season on the shortlist of national championship contenders, but Jackson's injury will leave their depth a little shaky.

After committing to transfer to Kansas last month, it turns out that former Florida guard Riley Kugel won't be suiting up for the Jayhawks after all.

Per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Kugel is no longer expected to play at Kansas. The news comes just a couple of days after Bill Self told NCAA basketball analyst Andy Katz that Kugel's future with the Jayhawks was "up in the air."

Kugel was expected to be a part of a talented transfer class for Kansas that included guard Zeke Mayo of South Dakota State and wings AJ Storr of Wisconsin and Rylan Griffen of Alabama. However, Self indicated during his talk with Katz that something had changed.

"I don't know that we've addressed every one of them, but for the most part I think we've done a pretty good job, with Zeke Mayo and Rylan Griffen, obviously, and AJ Storr," Self said before adding, "We also got a commitment from a young man from Florida, Kugel, Riley Kugel, that it's up in the air whether or not Riley will come, but certainly those other three we feel really good about."

As a sophomore at Florida, Kugel averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while making 11 starts in 33 appearances. His efficiency left much to be desired, as he shot just 39.4 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from beyond the arc. He earned a selection to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2022-23 after averaging 9.9 points for the Gators while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range.

Norlander noted that Kugel is "being recruited again by high-majors," so it seems like there are multiple teams interested in adding him following his de-commitment from Kansas.

Hunter Dickinson is coming back to Kansas.

The big man announced Fridayhe will return to school instead of entering the 2024 NBA draft.

He was eligible for this fifth collegiate season because of the additional COVID year, and his decision isn't exactly surprising considering he wasn't included in a March mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

For his part, Dickinson did not publicly announce a decision during a Senior Night speech in front of Jayhawks fans chanting "one more year" in March.

"Obviously it's there, the Covid year," Dickinson said at the time, per Gary Bedore of the Kansas City Star. "I honestly haven't made a decision yet. I'm more kind of letting the season play out.

"I'm fortunate to have gone through this process where I don't know what I'm going to do for four years now. I'm kind of used to it. I know I definitely won't have a decision before the end of the year because a lot can change from now until the end. Hopefully, if we run the table, win six in a row, (I'll) kind of figure it out after something great like that. That's the plan—waiting, hopefully win a natty, then have a hard decision after that."

Dickinson was anything but a first-round lock if he did choose to leave given questions about how his defense, athleticism and outside shot will translate to the NBA level.

Still, he has been nothing if not consistent in the college game.

He spent his first three seasons with Michigan and helped lead the Big Ten program to an Elite Eight and Sweet 16. He was the 2020-21 Big Ten Rookie of the Year and an All-Big Ten Second Team selection in each of his seasons with the Wolverines.

In all, he averaged 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 57 percent from the field for the Maize and Blue.

Expectations were sky-high surrounding Dickinson when he decided to transfer to powerhouse Kansas following his time at Michigan, and he delivered. He was named a member of the All-Big 12 First Team alongside teammate Kevin McCullar Jr. and took home the conference's Newcomer of the Year award.

The recognition came as he averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game as a double-double machine.

Playing at Kansas also gave him quite the spotlight going into March Madness, and he responded with a double-double of 19 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Samford and 15 points in the second-round loss to Gonzaga.

Now he will look to build on that success during a second season with the Jayhawks.

The civil lawsuit alleging former Texas Tech basketball player Richard "Pop" Isaacs sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in November was dismissed, per a Wednesday report from ESPN's Myron Medcalf.

"The parties to the lawsuit and Title IX complaint have agreed to dismiss all claims that have, or could have been, alleged as against one another," an attorney for Isaacs said in a statement. "Pop loved his time in Lubbock and being part of the Red Raider family. He thanks Coach [Grant] McCasland, the entire staff, and everyone involved with the university for supporting him throughout his time at Texas Tech."

The parents of the girl filed the lawsuit in January and alleged Isaacs sexually assaulted her during a team trip to the Bahamas. Texas Tech was in the Bahamas to participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

While the age of consent in the Bahamas is 16, the lawsuit alleged that the girl could not grant consent because she was intoxicated.

In January, Medcalf reported the lawsuit was seeking $1 million in damages. He also noted it alleged she "attempted to fight him off" but was intoxicated from alcohol that was provided by a Texas Tech booster.

Isaacs denied the allegations through an attorney and said he didn't have any sexual contact with her.

According to Medcalf, Texas Tech said it reported the allegations to the Title IX office and was told on multiple occasions when it reached out for an update that he remained "in good standing" with the school.

As a result, Isaacs played the entire season 2023-24 and was never suspended. There were also no criminal complaints filed.

He has since entered the transfer portal and is no longer with the Red Raiders.

After spending four seasons at Duke, senior guard Jeremy Roach has reportedly decided where he will call home for his fifth and final year of college eligibility.

Per Joe Tipton of On3.com, Roach committed to transfer to Baylor on Sunday.

Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman reported Wednesday that Baylor "emerged as the front-runner" to land Roach, who declared for the NBA draft and entered the transfer portal the day before that. He has until May 29 to decide whether he will withdraw from the draft and return to school or turn pro.

Roach appeared in 35 games for the Blue Devils as a senior and averaged career highs of 14.0 points, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals. He shot a blistering 42.9 percent from three-point range and earned third-team All-ACC honors. He helped lead Duke to a 27-9 record and a run to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament, where the team fell to NC State.

Grant Grubbs of On3.com noted that Roach chose Baylor over Kentucky, Arkansas and St. John's, which also recruited him in the transfer portal. He's joining a Bears squad that finished with a 24-11 record this past season and was upset by Clemson in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

If he chooses to withdraw from the draft, Roach will provide some veteran experience in the Baylor backcourt next to incoming freshman shooting guard VJ Edgecombe, who is a 5-star prospect and ranked on 247Sports' composite list as the No. 4 overall player in the nation and the No. 1 player at his position.

One of the top players in the transfer portal is reportedly eyeing a move down south.

According to basketball analyst Jeff Goodman, Baylor "has emerged as the front-runner" to land former Duke guard Jeremy Roach, who averaged a career-high 14.0 points as a senior last season.

Roach declared for the NBA draft and entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. He's the fifth Duke player to have entered the portal this offseason, joining Christian Reeves, Mark Mitchell, Jaylen Blakes and Jaden Schutt. The Blue Devils' top two scorers, Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain, also entered the NBA draft.

Roach was a 5-star recruit and a McDonalds All-American in the class of 2020. He went on to start 106 games in his four seasons at Duke, taking on a larger role in his junior year before his breakout performance this past season. He also averaged career-bests of 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc in 2023-24 on his way to earning third-team All-ACC honors.

Baylor has an opening in its backcourt after star freshman Ja'Kobe Walter declared for the NBA draft earlier this week. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year led the Bears with 14.5 points per game this past season.

Roach would be a solid addition for Baylor head coach Scott Drew, who is welcoming the fifth-best recruiting class in 247Sports' composite rankings. The class is headlined by 5-star shooting guard VJ Edgecombe, who is ranked as the No. 4 overall player in the nation and the No. 1 player at his position.