Wouldn't we all love the chance to talk about BYU basketball without stressing over who's going to fill the starting center role? Sure, that's an issue that isn't going away, nor does it lose its significance if you simply sweep it under the rug of your subconscious mind, but let's direct our attention to another distraction in the hopes of getting a good night sleep for the first time since April.
Like, for example, the release of the Big 12 Conference in-league basketball schedule, which lists with whom and where BYU basketball will be facing off during the 2026-27 season.
BYU basketball Big 12 Conference schedule
Home and Away: Arizona, TCU, Utah
Home only: Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia
Away only: Arizona State, UCF, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech
The Big 12 has released its conference opponents for the 2026-27 college basketball season. pic.twitter.com/bvwqmrH4nk
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 11, 2026
Some quick notes on this schedule, and how BYU basketball actually got the short end of the stick in nearly every way imaginable.
First off, looking at the away-only matchups, the Cougars will be forced to square off against each the most potent teams in the league last season in their buildings. Houston, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and Arizona will all host the Cougars in their meetings next season, with only Arizona returning for a trip to Provo. That's brutal, expecially considering the fact that BYU has yet to beat Houston since joining the conference three seasons ago.
On the bright side, BYU will host Kansas without having to visit Allen Fieldhouse, an environment that smothered Kevin Young's team from the jump in last year's clash between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
For the remaining home and away matchups, Utah makes perfect sense, of course, as the Holy War is one of the most important rivalries in the conference -- even during this stretch of time where the Utes have been pitiful on the hardwood. TCU is a mystery, though. There's nothing wrong with a good TCU-BYU basketball game -- heaven knows they've been entertaining over the past few years -- but I find myself a bit confused as to why the Horned Frogs and Cougars are rivals, when Colorado or Arizona State make more sense geographically.
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