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It's simple math: Having 16 teams play an 18-game schedule means each team can only play three others twice, and the remaining 12 teams just once.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and ASU will continue to see each other both at McKale Center and ASU’s Desert Financial Arena next season, and probably beyond.

“There's some historical rivalries that we keep intact,â€� said Brian Thornton, the Big 12’s vice president for men’s basketball. “ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State will play each other twice every year. BYU and Utah, those teams will play each other twice every year, and there's a few others.â€�

During Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s pretournament press conference Tuesday, Thornton confirmed that the conference anticipated having an 18-game schedule next season especially because it will allow each team two “bye� weeks in which they only have to play one game.

Before the league decided to play 20 games this season, Kansas coach Bill Self had expressed reservations about playing that many because it squeezed the opportunities for home nonconference games. 

The Big 12 also opted to cram all 20 in over a 10-week period before the league tournament. UA coach Tommy Lloyd said that's because Big 12 coaches had voted against playing conference games before Christmas. 

But now with 18 games, the Big 12 can at least play all its conference games after Christmas and still give teams a breather.

“We’re hoping it'll kind of lighten the schedule up a little bit, “ Lloyd said on his Feb. 27 radio show.

Bye weeks were common in the Pac-12 because the conference started moving games into early December once it transitioned from 18 games to 20 in 2020-21. Often, the one-game weeks would occur when a Pac-12 team was scheduled to play its geographic rival.

But the lack of bye weeks was only one of several changes for the Wildcats and their three fellow Pac-12 refugees — ASU, Utah and Colorado — after moving to the Big 12 this season.

Another is on display this week: Instead of playing at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, within a day’s drive of UA fans in Southern California and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, they’re all lining up smack in the middle of the country at T-Mobile Center.

But Yormark, who announced a year ago that the Big 12 tournament was contracted to stay in Kansas City through 2031, expressed confidence that the site would grow on them.

“Listen, they've been in Vegas for a long time,� Yormark said. “They like Vegas. Vegas was great to them. It’s no different than what I said to the women's teams (from the Pac-12) last week: Come here, sample it, give me your feedback.

“Across the board, they loved it. They thought it was first class, an experience that they haven't had anywhere else. And I expect the same from the four men's coaches, because I'm very engaged with them, and I want their feedback.

“But I think they're going to love it here for all the right reasons, and for the same reason I fell in love with KC. And as I said earlier, we're here through '31. We're committed to KC. What happens after that? I don't know, but I would anticipate we're here for a long, long time.�

Yormark was similarly bullish throughout his question-and-answer session. Among the topics he addressed:

NCAA Tourney expansion

He supported expanding the NCAA Tournament to 76 teams if media partners pay more.

"I think that's the right number. I think there'll be some decisions over the next 60-90 days. I think the economics, candidly, have to work. CBS and TNT have a marquee asset with the tournament. I know they know that, but in order for us to expand, they have to come to the table and provide the right economics. No one wants to get diluted, and we've got a great asset here. So we'll see how it plays out."

Growing the Big 12

Having already overseen the integration of eight schools — while Texas and Oklahoma left for the SEC after last season — Yormark said he wasn’t thinking about expanding past the current 16 schools.

“We're in 10 states now, four time zones. I love the composition of our conference for all the right reasons. Does it present some challenges from time to time for student-athletes, travel, etc.? Yes, but in working with our sport administrators, we're very mindful of that, and we're managing it quite well, I think. But the positives outweigh any negatives.

“Expansion isn't something that's on my radar right now for obvious reasons. But listen, this is an evolving landscape in collegiate athletics, and we always have to be ready. So I can't sit here and say we'll be 16 for the next 10 years.

“It'll all depend on the nuances in and around the Big 12, but I love 16, and I love our geographic composition, and I think there's a lot of upside.�

Making a statement

He defended the Big 12’s controversial court, which features rows of repeated white “XII� lettering — an Associated Press story called it a “Louis Vuitton-like look� — with the Big 12’s official “XII� logos featured prominently at midcourt and in each free throw lane (plus sponsor logos, of course).

“Let me just start off by saying that court isn't about me, it's about our student-athletes,� Yormark said. “When I first got here, it was all about modernizing and contemporizing our brand, connecting to culture and getting on the consciousness of current and future student-athletes, and that's what we're doing.

“Every student-athlete who walked on that court last week (at the women’s tournament) came up to me and said, 'Brett, it's fantastic.' They took selfies. They loved it. Today, I got here very early for the Iowa State practice, and the entire team said, 'Love it. Love being on there.'

“It's aspirational. That's our stage. We wanted to make a profound statement, and I think we did, and I love it. And listen in life, you never get it perfectly correct. But I think the people that matter most really love it, and that's what matters to me.�

Crown teams

He confirmed that the top two Big 12 teams that don’t get into the NCAA Tournament will instead play in the new College Basketball Crown tournament, an event created by FOX that gives two automatic slots to conferences with Fox contracts: The Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East.

The Crown is considered a new competitor to the NIT, which is broadcast by ESPN, though it is notable that the Big 12 has deals with both ESPN and Fox.

“We're excited to be part of the Crown,� Yormark said. “We think it's going to be a first-class opportunity for our student-athletes to showcase their talents. Fox is a wonderful partner of ours … they've been doing football with us for quite some time, and next year, they distribute basketball games for the first time in years.

“So we're excited to be in the Fox family, and I think their tournament is going to be off the charts.�