BYU men's and women's basketball programs joined other Big 12 institutions at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, for the 2026 Monster Energy Big 12 Basketball Media Days held on Oct. 20 and 21. The two-day event, which began with a conference-wide announcement of attendees on Oct. 13, featured a new format uniting men's and women's programs on the same days to showcase the depth of the league.
The media days, held at the T-Mobile Center, featured several new enhancements to the traditional format. According to the Big 12 Conference, the event included the launch of "The Rotation," a personality-driven original content series featuring interviews with student-athletes and coaches. This series was scheduled to air live on the Big 12's YouTube channel each day from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT. Additionally, the conference introduced the Monster Energy Lounge to provide a space for student-athletes and coaches to connect, and SLAM Magazine participated on-site to capture content for all 32 Big 12 programs.
The schedule for the event placed BYU on the second day of proceedings, Wednesday, Oct. 21. While the men's side featured several prominent coaches, BYU men's head coach Kevin Young was scheduled to appear during the Wednesday sessions. The Wednesday lineup included men's coaches such as Jamie Dixon, Tommy Lloyd, Johnny Dawkins, Kevin Young, and Bill Self. The women's side of the Wednesday schedule featured head coaches Mark Campbell, Becky Burke, Gabe Lazo, Lee Cummard, Jacie Hoyt, Mark Kellogg, Matthew Mitchell, Jeff Mittie, Steve Lutz, Ross Hodge, Kelvin Sampson, and Casey Alexander.
BYU's participation comes following a highly successful period for the conference's basketball programs. The Big 12 reported that it had eight teams selected to the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, matching a league record from 2008. On the men's side, eight teams qualified for the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, including Arizona, which advanced to the Final Four, and three schools that reached the Sweet 16.
The conference also noted significant recent success in professional drafts. According to the Big 12, the league had a historic showing at the 2026 NBA Draft, which included a conference-record 13 overall selections and a league-record nine first-round selections. Notably, the top two overall picks were from the conference: AJ Dybantsa from BYU and Darryn Peterson from Kansas.
The media days also highlighted the conference's dominance in national rankings. The Big 12 finished the regular season as one of only two leagues nationally to have 75% of its teams ranked within the top 60 of the NET. The conference also earned the second-best regular season record among Power Four leagues in games played against other Power Four teams.
The 2026 media days also provided a platform for various media partners to engage with the league. The Big 12 confirmed that all five of its television partners—ESPN, FOX, CBS, TNT, and NBC—returned on-site to provide coverage. Additionally, ESPN+ provided a feed of all press conferences and interviews, while TuneIn Radio recorded interviews with coaches and student-athletes from all 32 programs to be aired leading up to the season.
The event was also marked by a presence from New Era, which provided co-branded media gifts and a hat customization bar for attendees. Commissioner Brett Yormark, who spoke on the main stage on Tuesday, Oct. 20, noted that there has "never been a better time to be part of the Big 12 than right now."
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