Big 12 Commissioner says Kansas basketball should’ve been double-scheduled with marquee team

There is no shortage of challenging games on the Kansas basketball schedule this season. The Jayhawks will play three teams ranked in the top 15 of the preseason AP Poll during nonconference play before moving on to the gauntlet that is the Big 12.

Bill Self and Co. have their work cut out for them in 2024-25, even after being voted the top preseason team for the second consecutive season. They play Houston and Iowa State twice, the No. 4 and 5 teams in the country, respectively. 

But apparently, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark doesn’t think KU’s schedule is hard enough. Kansas only plays Arizona once, with the meeting scheduled for Mar. 8, the regular season finale and Senior Night at Allen Fieldhouse. During a press conference, Yormark admits that it might have been in the conference’s best interest to have the Wildcats play the Jayhawks twice: 

Brett Yormark suggests Kansas basketball should be playing Arizona twice

"It wasn’t easy when you think about the different matchups and the depth of the conference, but we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and think about that. That’s a marquee matchup, as we all know, and one the fans want to see. ... I’m not saying that’s right or that’s the way it’s going to be moving forward. But first time at 20, we’ve got to figure out what worked, what didn’t, and then address it at the end of the season."

- Brett Yormark, Big 12 Commissioner

The Big 12 had to ditch the round-robin schedule a year ago when four new schools joined. Now, the conference sits at 16, which propelled Yormark to make the league play a 20-game slate. 

Self wasn’t and still isn’t very fond of the schedule change, claiming that teams will be taxed before the regular season’s end due to an increased number of high-intensity games. We now know why he feels this way. Honestly, it sounds like Yormark is blatantly saying he wants the Jayhawks to take on each of the conference’s top schools. 

Arizona was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll, but this is not your typical conference. Tommy Lloyd’s group still landed at No. 10 in the national rankings and could easily compete for a conference title in its inaugural Big 12 basketball season.

From the conference’s perspective, it may believe it dropped the ball leaving a marquee matchup off the Jayhawks’ schedule. But through the eyes of a Kansas basketball fan, the Jayhawk faithful are likely glad that they don’t have to make the trip to McKale Memorial Center for a tough road tilt.