Big 12 Basketball: 3 Reasons BYU Should Be Invited into the Conference

The Big 12 is losing teams.

First Nebraska departed for the Big Ten. Then Colorado moved on to the Pac-12. And now, Texas A&M is doing everything they can to jump into the SEC.

The Big 12 has become the Transitional Nine.

The question that is being thrown around is "What schools should the Big 12 approach so that the conference can rebuild?"

One creative answer would be Brigham Young University.

They aren't the best option from a geographical standpoint. Provo, Utah is 940 (driving) miles to the closest Big 12 campus (Texas Tech in Lubbock), but creating conferences based on proximity isn't exactly standard operating procedure any more.

TCU joining the Big East is almost comical.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported today that talks between BYU and the Big 12 have already begun.

Here are three reasons why the Big 12 should invite BYU into the future version of the conference.

BYU Is a National School

The private university, operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has an enrollment of roughly 34,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

With Texas A&M's departure, BYU would automatically be the second largest school in the Big 12.

From the standpoint of both the student body (all 50 states represented) and their fanbase, BYU is a national school.

When their teams play on the road, their fans travel and/or turn out to see the Cougars play.

Inviting BYU into the Big 12 would bring in a whole different media market and a school with a very active fanbase into the conference. 

BYU Plays in One of the Largest Arenas in the Country

BYU plays their home games in the Marriott Center, one of the largest on-campus arenas in the country, with a capacity of 22,700.

In 2010, the Cougars averaged 14,029 per game, No. 17 in the country.

That's right ahead of such big-time programs as UNLV, Arizona and Purdue (Nos. 18-20).

The only two Big 12 schools that averaged more than BYU are Kansas (16,433) and Texas (14,629).   

To compare, Texas A&M, who is leaving the conference, averaged 9,889 in 2010.

BYU Puts Quality Teams on the Court

In its 104-year history, BYU's basketball program has won 1,608 games, ranking 17th among all Division I programs.

With 1,608 victories in program history, BYU would automatically be the program with the second most wins to Kansas.

83 of the school's 104 basketball teams have had winning records.

The Cougars have made 24 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Dave Rose, the BYU coach since 2005, has a record of 159-45.

The Cougars have won at least 20 games every year since he became the head coach, including a 62-10 record the last two years.

Adding BYU would deliver one more competitive team to the mix in the Big 12.