According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, the Big 12 basketball conference schedule for the 2024-25 season will begin on December 30 and 31, kicking off a new era in the league’s history.
Rothstein also noted that the conference, which was already providing a murderer’s row of a schedule, will transition to a new-look 20-game league schedule this season.
Each team will play two games per week once conference play begins, and there won’t be any byes for teams in the league once things begin.
With the schedule brutal to begin with, adding the factor of no bye weeks will just make things that much more difficult.
The Big 12 is set to welcome Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah to the league this season as well, further complicating game-planning issues for league coaches. Arizona was a No. 2 seed in last year’s tournament, while Colorado also made the Big Dance and advanced to the Round of 32 out of the First Four games.
Utah went 22-15 and was on the bubble, too, while Arizona State had a down year but still managed to beat a Top 25 Washington State team, as well as pick up wins over teams like Colorado, Utah, and USC.
When you consider the Big 12 already has powerhouses like Kansas, Houston, Baylor, and Iowa State, throwing in a program like Arizona almost seems to make the league more difficult than it should be.
But, just like the allure of playing football in the SEC, there’s just no other league in college basketball that will provide the kind of experience that playing in the Big 12 will, and that point will only be solidified going forward.
