IRVING, Texas – The Big 12 Conference today announced the student-athlete attendees for the 2026 Monster Energy Big 12 Basketball Media Days, which will be held at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and Wednesday, Oct. 21.
New for this year, each institution’s men’s and women’s basketball programs will participate on the same day. Eight institutions will be featured each day, creating a unified platform to highlight the depth and strength of the league.
The 2026 event will feature several new enhancements alongside expansive national media coverage.
This year’s enhancements include:
- Unmatched Media Partner Coverage: All five of the Conference’s television partners, ESPN, FOX, CBS, TNT and NBC, return on-site to provide unparalleled coverage of the league.
- Launch of The Rotation: Big 12 Digital Contributor Kendra Sheehan and former NCAA student-athletes Jaden Owens and Olivia Petnicki will provide behind-the-scenes coverage with the launch of The Rotation, a personality-driven original content series featuring authentic interviews with student-athletes, coaches and influential voices at the intersection of sports, culture and lifestyle. The Rotation will air live on the Big 12’s YouTube channel each day from 2 – 4 p.m. CT with additional interviews and short-form content available across social platforms.
- Monster Energy Lounge: The Monster Energy Lounge offers student-athletes and coaches a relaxed space to connect and recharge throughout the two-day event.
- SLAM Magazine: A leader in showcasing men’s and women’s basketball at all levels, SLAM will activate on-site in Kansas City, capturing content featuring all 32 Big 12 programs for use throughout the 2026-27 season.
- New Era Activation: New Era will provide official co-branded media gifts for attending media, including a hat customization bar where attendees can personalize their hats with embroidery and other details.
Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech and Utah will take the stage on Tuesday followed by Arizona, BYU, UCF, Houston, K-State, Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia on Wednesday.
Coverage from the main set will air on ESPNU from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT each day. Matt Schick, Brooke Weisbrod, King McClure, Sydney Jones and Alex Glover Jemison will help preview both the men’s and women’s seasons. Both days will also be simulcast on Big 12 Studios and BYUtv.
Commissioner Brett Yormark will speak on the main stage at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Former K-State guard and WNBA analyst Missy Heidrick returns to moderate the women’s Q&A sessions with head coaches and student-athletes, while BYUtv’s Spencer Linton will host the men’s sessions. A feed of all press conferences and interviews will be available on ESPN+.
TuneIn Radio will also be on-site at T-Mobile Center, recording interviews with coaches and student-athletes from all 32 programs that will air leading up to the season.
The Big 12 had eight teams selected to the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, matching the league record set in 2008. It marked the third consecutive season that the league has sent at least seven teams to March Madness. The Conference finished the regular season as one of just two leagues nationally to have 75% of its teams ranked within the top 60 of the NET and had the second-best regular season record among Power Four leagues in games against other P4 teams. The league had five selections in the 2026 WNBA Draft, including TCU’s Olivia Miles being taken with the No. 2 overall pick.
The men’s side also saw eight teams qualify for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with three schools appearing in the Sweet 16, and league champion Arizona advancing to the Final Four. The Conference then had a historic showing at the 2026 NBA Draft with a Conference-record 13 overall selections, a league-record nine first round selections and the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, respectively.
A full list of participating student-athletes is included below. Each school’s head coach will also be in attendance.
Women’s Student-Athlete Attendees
Arizona
Aliyahna "Puff" Morris
Gerda Raulušaityte
Sumayah Sugapong
Arizona State
McKinna Brackens
Rashunda Jones
Ruby Whitehorn
Baylor
Kyla Abraham
Kayla Nelms
Taliah Scott
BYU
Sydney Benally
Delaney Gibb
Olivia Hamlin
UCF
Vittoria Blasigh
Mahogany Chandler-Roberts
Mikayla Johnson
Cincinnati
Caliyah DeVillasee
Reagan Jackson
Sahnya Jah
Colorado
Aniya' Foy
Logyn Greer
Zyanna Walker
Houston
Kaelyn Hamilton
Marta Llompart
Raegan McCowan
Iowa State
Ashleigh Connor
Arianna Jackson
Evangelia Paulk
Kansas
Jaliya Davis
S'Mya Nichols
Regan Williams
K-State
Nastja Claessens
Gina Garcia
Taryn Sides
Oklahoma State
Audi Crooks
Stailee Heard
Liv McGill
TCU
Lanie Grant
Clara Silva
Jadyn Wooten
Texas Tech
Jalynn Bristow
Rhema Collins
Utah
Filipa Barros
Chyra Evans
Lena Girardi
West Virginia
Gia Cooke
Skylar Forbes
Khyala Ngodu
Men’s Student-Athlete Attendees
Arizona
Caleb Holt
Ivan Kharchenkov
Motiejus Krivas
Arizona State
Emmanuel Innocenti
Paulius Murauskas
Dillan Shaw
Baylor
Kayden Mingo
Isaac Williams IV
BYU
Bruce Branch III
Collin Chandler
Robert Wright III
UCF
John Bol
Dior Johnson
Cayden Vasko
Cincinnati
Myles Colvin
Jayden Hastings
Tylen Riley
Colorado
Barrington Hargress
Josiah Sanders
Houston
Chase McCarty
Mercy Miller
Joseph Tugler
Iowa State
Jamarion Batemon
Blake Buchanan
Killyan Toure
Kansas
Keanu Dawes
Kohl Rosario
Tyran Stokes
K-State
Isaiah Abraham
Brandon Rechsteiner
Oklahoma State
Jordan Burks
Kanye Clary
Parsa Fallah
TCU
Xavier Edmonds
Brock Harding
Micah Robinson
Texas Tech
Donovan Atwell
JT Toppin
Darrion Williams
Utah
Alec Anigbata
Jackson Holcombe
West Virginia
Finley Bizjack
Miles Sadler
Martin Somerville
Subject to change.