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'Obnoxious' Big 12 Tournament basketball court getting roasted by fans

The Big 12 unveiled a special court that is not easy on the eyes
Ben Sherman|
Fans are not happy with the Big 12's special court for the men's basketball tournament.
Fans are not happy with the Big 12's special court for the men's basketball tournament. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

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The 2025 Big 12 men's basketball tournament officially tipped on Tuesday morning — and fans are not happy with the court.

The tournament is being played at T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, and the Big 12 Conference decided to design a special court that features a dizzying array of "XII" covering the full 94 feet. It's the same court that was used for the women's tournament last week.

The repeating "XII" logos are only interrupted by the blacked-out keys and the full Big 12 Tournament championship logo at half court.

The TV viewing experience is not good, to put it mildly. Here's the court:

The Big 12 unveiled a special court for the men's basketball tournament in Kansas City.
The Big 12 unveiled a special court for the men's basketball tournament in Kansas City. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The general fan consensus was summed up by Brandon Koretz in a post on X:

"Not to sound like an old grandpa yelling at the clouds but we need to stop these obnoxious basketball court designs," Koretz wrote. "The NBA Cup and now the Big12 have taken it way too far. It’s brutal on the eyes. Bring back basketball courts that actually look like hardwood flooring."

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark addressed the court before the tournament tipped off. "That court isn’t about me, it’s about the student athletes,” Yormark said.

The fan reaction has been consistent — and hilarious. Here's a sampling of what fans are saying about the Big 12 basketball tournament court design.

Here's the Big 12 men's basketball tournament schedule for the first three days in Kansas City:

Big 12 first round - Tuesday, March 11

  • Game 1 - No. 12 seed Oklahoma State vs. No. 13 Seed Cincinnati - 11:30 a.m. CT
  • Game 2 – No. 9 seed TCU vs. No. 16 seed Colorado - 2 p.m. CT
  • Game 3 – No. 10 seed Kansas State vs. No. 15 seed Arizona State - 6 p.m. CT
  • Game 4 – No. 11 seed Utah vs. No. 14 seed UCF - 8:30 p.m. CT

Big 12 second round - Wednesday, March 12

  • Game 5 – No. 5 seed Iowa State vs. Winner of Game 1 - 11:30 a.m. CT
  • Game 6 – No. 8 seed West Virginia vs. Winner of Game 2 - 2 p.m. CT
  • Game 7 – No. 7 seed Baylor vs. Winner of Game 3 - 6 p.m. CT
  • Game 8 – No. 6 seed Kansas vs. Winner of Game 4 - 8:30 p.m. CT

Big 12 quarterfinals - Thursday, March 13

  • Game 9 – No. 4 seed BYU vs. Winner of Game 5 - 11:30 a.m. CT
  • Game 10 – No. 1 seed Houston vs. Winner of Game 6 - 2 p.m. CT
  • Game 11 – No. 2 seed Texas Tech vs. Winner of Game 7 - 6 p.m. CT
  • Game 12 – No. 3 seed Arizona vs. Winner of Game 8 - 8:30 p.m. CT

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Ben Sherman
BEN SHERMAN

Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.

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