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Big 12 Basketball: 4 schools the conference should add soon

By Andrew Miller

Penny Hardaway, Big 12 Basketball (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Penny Hardaway, Big 12 Basketball (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Cincinnati Bearcats head coach John Brannen shouts out to his defense in the first half of the NCAA America Athletic Conference basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Temple Owls at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 7, 2020. The Bearcats trailed 31-17 at halftime.Temple Owls At Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach John Brannen shouts out to his defense in the first half of the NCAA America Athletic Conference basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Temple Owls at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 7, 2020. The Bearcats trailed 31-17 at halftime.Temple Owls At Cincinnati Bearcats /

2) Big 12 Basketball expansion candidates

Cincinnati Bearcats (American Athletic Conference)

The trend on this list of the Big 12 dipping into a pool of qualified candidate programs from the AAC continues with the inclusion of the Cincinnati Bearcats and recently hired head coach John Brannen. Among all of the candidates that you could consider for the Big 12 to add from the AAC, Cincinnati might be able to make the best early impact on the competition too.

The idea of the Big 12 expanding its recruiting pipeline for men’s basketball all the way up into the Midwest is very appealing since they could then compete more with the likes of the Big East, ACC, and Big Ten. Big time Big 12 hoops programs that have a lot of success on the recruiting trail like the Kansas Jayhawks, Iowa State Cyclones, West Virginia Mountaineers, and even the Longhorns, would have even more promising results if the conference added a school like Cincinnati.

A very stout recent track record of success in terms of postseason results and finishes in the AP Poll also bodes well for the case that the Bearcats and Brannen could put together in the Big 12 expansion conversation. Cincinnati is one of the better mid-major programs heading into the 2020-21 season, and they finished up last season with a record of 20-10 (13-5 AAC). That netted the Bearcats an AAC regular season title.

Prior to Brannen taking over the Cincinnati hoops program heading into last season, they were a very storied team led by former head coach Mick Cronin. And despite the NCAA Tournament not actually happening last season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bearcats are still riding a nine season streak of appearances in the “Big Dance”.

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