Conference realignment: Will the Big 12 add a team from the East?

The subject of conference realignment has been quiet for a little while, but things started to heat back up on Friday, as The Athletic first reported that the Big 12 Conference is looking at adding the University of Connecticut.
Andrew Marchand and Justin Williams reported that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will meet with other conference officials next week to discuss the matter.
Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, meanwhile, reported Friday that the Big 12 and UConn are “in discussions” for the Huskies to join the conference in all sports except football in 2026 and then football in 2031.
McMurphy reported that UConn officials met with Big 12 officials last week in Dallas.
Yormark has reportedly been eyeing the addition of UConn for quite sometime, but Marchand and Williams reported that it’s unclear how much support he has from Big 12 school presidents.
As noted by Marchand and Williams, Yormark has long wanted to improve the basketball product in the Big 12, which is already the best in the country on the men’s side.
In fact, last year there were reports about the Big 12 potentially adding Gonzaga, long one of the best men’s basketball programs in the country, but that did not happen and the Big 12 added former Pac-12 Conference schools Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State instead.
Adding UConn would certainly make it even better, as the Huskies have won the past two national championships, and the women’s team has long been one of the best in the country to boot.
Football has been a very different story, as the Huskies have long been one of the worst programs in the entire country.