Brett Yormark hopes to 'double down' on Big 12 basketball tournament in Kansas City

The Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments aren’t going anywhere.

They will hold the conference’s men’s basketball tournament inside the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City through the 2027 season, while the women’s tournament will play at the venue for the first time in 2024 after playing the last three seasons in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.

According to Yormark — the relationship between the conference and the city is planning to last even longer.

“This is my first time spending significant time in Kansas City. I went there with lots of different thoughts. I came away hugely impressed. We don’t have to share our voice with a market like Kansas City during our basketball championship,” Yormark said during Big-12 media days. “If you look at some of the other markets, there are multiple conference championships going on simultaneously, and the fan base in and around Kansas City, the community, they really embrace this tournament.

“Obviously next year our women’s championship moves to T-Mobile, which we’re extremely excited about. So when I think about Kansas City now, I certainly think about that market and that championship as one that I’d like to double down on, and we are in conversations with local officials on extending that agreement, as well.”

Having stability around the conference tournament for the next several seasons helps Yormark manage the next couple of academic years as the Big 12 welcomes BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the conference as longtime stalwarts Texas and Oklahoma exit.

The addition of the Cougars on the basketball court is a key piece to the conference’s expansion, as Kelvin Sampson’s squad has been one of the best teams in college basketball over the last few seasons. Neither the Longhorns nor Sooners can lay claim to the success Houston has had — and it’s not a wild statement to say they might win the conference tournament in their first season.

Cincinnati’s recent College Football Playoff run gives them the edge over Texas and OU in that regard, too, but it seems that success has died down a bit. Although, the football championship game is played in Dallas. They still bring a strong reputation to the Big 12, as do the rest of the incoming programs on both the gridiron and hardwood.

All of these teams will have their shot at winning the 2024 Big 12 basketball tournament when men’s action gets underway on Tuesday, March 12, and will be played through Saturday, March 16. The women’s tournament is set for March 7-12, 2024.