Over the last few years, the Big 12 has been the top, or at worst top 3 in NET rankings (and #1 every year in RPI).

Left Behind:
(Only teams making Sweet 16 or higher listed, multiple second round and first round teams not listed)
2021 - National Champion - Baylor
2019 - National Runner Up - Texas Tech
2018 - Final Four (Kansas), Elite Eight (Kansas State, Texas Tech), Sweet 16 - (West Virginia< Texas Tech)
2017 - Elite Eight (Kansas), Sweet 16 - (Baylor, West Virginia)
2016 - Elite Eight (Kansas), Sweet 16 - (Iowa State)

Texas and Oklahoma in those years:

2021 - Oklahoma - Second Round, Texas First Round
2019 - Oklahoma - Second Round, Texas Not Selected
2018 - Oklahoma, Texas - First Round
2017 - Oklahoma, Texas - Not selected
2016 - Oklahoma - Final Four, Texas - First Round



Pretty much all of the basketball credits the Big 12 have come from the schools other than OU and UT.

Only Oklahoma State (second round), TCU (first round) failed to make the Sweet 16 in the listed time frame.

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Big 12 without OU/UT is still a top 5 BB conference. Adding Strong BB programs like Cincy, Houston and Memphis would only cement that.

The Big 12 remains a power basketball conference as long as Kansas is there. Baylor just winning a championship definitely affirms that. While there's still strong depth there, with West Virginia, Iowa State, OK State and Tech, losing Texas and Oklahoma definitely hurts the league overall.

The good news is that there are plenty of valuable additions for basketball (Houston, Cincinnati, Memphis, Wichita State). Will be interesting to see how that basketball group goes moving forward.

If they stay together and add a few good programs…

So theyd still be a top 3 league? 5-6 bid league?