How Big 12 coaches feel about the state of the conference — and college basketball as a whole

The Big 12 is widely viewed as one of the best college basketball conferences in the country, and its coaches have plenty to say regarding the sport’s changing landscape.

At the Big 12’s annual spring meetings in Frisco, Texas, head coaches Tommy Lloyd of Arizona and Ross Hodge of West Virginia answered questions from reporters about NCAA Tournament expansion, eligibility rules, the league’s brand, and more.

Here are some of Lloyd and Hodge’s most notable thoughts.

On navigating unprecedented circumstances in college basketball

Lloyd: “You could sit around and complain, but if you do that, how are you going to be successful? I think there’s joy in trying to figure something out that’s really challenging, and that definitely has been college basketball, or college athletics overall, in the last five or eight years. What’s tough is it never feels like it slows down.

“(We’re) looking for certainty with the rules. I think a lot of us are dealing with potential eligibility issues, you know, that obviously have coaches frustrated, because based on how the rules were going to be made last year, it looks like it might change this year.

“… But I think the support of the game and the fandom has never been better. I think the quality of the product is going to continue to improve. I think more of these kids have the option to stay in college longer now, which is a good thing. It’s a good thing for our game.”

On the Big 12 potentially changing from 18 conference games per season to 20

Lloyd: “Us coaches, I think there’s kind of a general consensus, we’re really happy with 18 (games). We think that gives us the best flexibility to schedule accordingly with our nonconference schedules based on the needs of our program.

“Obviously, I think that there’s going to be a push from the conference level to get 20 games, because they want more content so when we do become media free agents in 2030, they think that content gives us more value. So I think it’s just trying to figure out where we can meet on that issue.

“I know for me, having the extra flexibility to schedule (quality nonconference matchups) … I think that’s really helped the profile of our program, and I think it really helps college basketball in the November and December months, when we’re still battling with the NFL and college football. I think the quality of those games, they really, really matter. I’m a strong proponent for the 18-game schedule, but unfortunately, I don’t know if I get a vote on the issue.”

On the scheduling benefits of NCAA Tournament expansion

Hodge: “Anytime you get a chance to schedule more aggressively without feeling like it’s hurting you, it’s good for your brand individually and then collectively for the strength of the league. So with an expansion, it just allows you to have more big swings, and if you take big swings, you’re going to miss some, but you don’t feel like you’re getting punished for swinging and missing.”

On the reality of roster construction in the NIL and revenue sharing era

Hodge: “You’re playing a game with rules that are ever-evolving and ever-changing, and it’s hard to always be predictive. I don’t know if I would have predicted that the (transfer) market increased at the rate it did, because it feels like it’s not going to be able to continue at that rate, but it keeps continuing at that rate.

“You have to be able to adapt quickly and make the best decisions that you can in the time period that you’re making those decisions in. It can be easy to look back on a decision that you made, good or bad, six months from now, but really, you can’t get too far ahead of that or too far behind it. In the time period that you’re in, are you making the best decisions that you can make with the rules that are in place at the moment, understanding that those rules could change tomorrow?”

Lloyd: “You’re going to have to start running these revenue-generating sports like a business. I honestly don’t think there’s any other way to do it. I think we all need to understand that not everybody has billionaires floating around. Don’t get me wrong, I mean, Arizona’s fine, there is going to be this thing called donor fatigue.

“… It’s really interesting. I’m excited to see what (college athletics) looks like in five years, and it’s been kind of fun to try to figure out. I know it’s really been challenging for me, and our staff, and our athletic family as a whole, but somehow we keep putting one foot forward and surviving.

“… I think common sense will finally prevail. Once we kind of work ourselves through this little time period, I don’t know, maybe this will be the last year of the craziness.”

On if playing nationally-televised games has become a recruiting tool

Hodge: “Absolutely … I think from a league standpoint, you have such powerful brands, and then you combine that with some of the best coaches, not only in the current landscape of college basketball, but to have ever coached college basketball. Then last year specifically, with the amount of young talent, we had some super compelling storylines (league-wide) … Last year has certainly impacted us in a positive manner.”

On NCAA Tournament expansion

Lloyd: “I think it makes sense to get more teams in the tournament. To give a few more teams an opportunity is a good thing, and hey, the more games on TV, the better. I know I’ll be watching, I think we all will. I don’t think anybody’s going to say, ‘Oh, I’m not watching those games,’ because there’s going to be buzzer beaters, there’s going to be high drama, and I think it’s only going to gain more momentum and more interest.”

On how players remaining in college longer with NIL has benefitted the sport

Hodge: “The depth of talent available to so many teams, I think that’s reflected in some of the things we talked about in this meeting, just the viewership, the fan engagement, the eyes on college basketball itself. In some ways, you could make the claim that it’s never been better in that regard. I think a lot of that has to do with the talent remaining in college.”