Report: UConn could be expansion target for 1 surprising conference
Feb 18, 2023; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley watches from the sideline as they take on the Seton Hall Pirates at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The UConn Huskies have bounced around a few conferences since realignment started in earnest over a decade ago, and a new report suggests one league might try to tempt them into moving again.
The Big 12 has some interest in adding UConn to its ranks, according to Nicole Auerbach and Max Olson of The Athletic. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is “doing his homework” on UConn, and the league’s interest increased after the Huskies won the NCAA men’s basketball title in April.
The Big 12 is focusing more on basketball than football given its strength there, so UConn is a sensible fit in that regard. The chance to gain a foothold in the New York market is also a plus. While UConn’s football team is coming off a promising season, that program has little history of success and would not add much to the league on the football side.
Big East officials are skeptical that UConn would actually make the move, though the school does not seem to have even been sounded out yet.
The Big 12 has primarily been linked to expansion westward in recent months. Adding UConn would certainly buck that trend, though there is some sense to it, albeit not at all geographically.
