Brett Yormark stopped by the Colorado-Baylor contest on Wednesday to tease some big changes coming to the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.
Joining the broadcast table, Yormark shared that the conference will be bringing some eyebrow-raising improvements to the annual tournament, including “big-time musical talent” in an announcement the Big 12 commissioner said expects next Tuesday.
“Listen, I’m a first-mover and our conference is a first-mover, that’s how we position ourselves,” Yormark said. “We’re going to be doing some things that’ve never been done in the collegiate space.”
It’s pretty simple: Yormark wants more eyeballs on his conference.
The league has set out to raise its basketball profile, including its flagship tournament, which has been firmly stationed in the Kansas City area since 2010. The league has an agreement with the city’s sports commission to keep it there through 2031.
Last year, the tournament included multiple live performances at the Power & Light District, resting just west of the basketball venue. The conference’s official website includes a basic itinerary and game schedule, but no other info about adjacent activities or live events attached to this year’s tournament.
This time around, Yormark appears to be swinging big music-wise.
The league included Jon Pardi as the halftime act for BYU and Texas Tech at the Big 12 Football Championship in Arlington earlier this year.
“We’re going to integrate some big-time musical talent, which is also going to be great,” Yormark said. “Listen, from day one it’s all been about how do we continue to ‘celebritize’ our tournament, how do we make it destinational for fans, how we do give student-athletes the best type of experience possible. I thought we did it well last year but we’re gonna keep building on it and this year’s going to be incredible.”
The tournament is slated for March 10-14 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
