Big 12 Pulls LED Glass Court Before Arizona-Iowa State

After just three days, the Big 12 is taking away the LED glass court and reverting to the classic hardwood. The court has been talked about more than the action being played on the court, and the Big 12 has had enough.

Yesterday, the Wildcats defeated UCF, yet social media was just mentioning the players slipping on the court. Arizona will play in the first game back on the hardwood tonight against Iowa State in the Big 12 semifinals.

🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark tells @CBSSports the league is abandoning its LED glass floor and switching to hardwood overnight for the semifinals and title game the next two days. The coaches have agreed to the switch. Here's Yormark's statement. Story TK. pic.twitter.com/OprQjVwGkT
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 13, 2026

Brett Yormark Statement

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark announced the news regarding the court change late Thursday night.

“After consultation with the coaches of our four semifinal teams, I have decided that in order to provide our student-athletes with the greatest level of comfort on a huge stage this weekend, we will transition to a hardwood court for the remainder of the tournament,” Yormark said. “We look forward to a great semifinals and championship game.”

NEWS: The Big 12 will be transitioning to a hardwood court for the remainder of the Big 12 tournament. The LED glass basketball court has been greeted with mixed reviews, including feedback that it is slippery. pic.twitter.com/PjT0Xbaa5J
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 13, 2026

Christian Anderson, Texas Tech guard, was injured in the quarterfinals matchup against the Cyclones. The injury is suspected to be low-risk, but it is still scary because it is a groin injury. Anderson gave a short but effective message after the game.

“I think going back to the normal court is the way to go,” he said after the game.

Christian Anderson said he was done for the day regardless of the score after hurting himself in the groin area on a slip in the second half of Texas Tech’s loss to Iowa State.

“I think going back to the normal court is the way to go,” he said postgame. @KCTV5 pic.twitter.com/8s5pN65CZ2
— Gabe Swartz (@gabeswartz_) March 12, 2026

Interesting Decision Causes Controversy

The decision to play on an LED court on such a big stage, such as the Big 12 Tournament, was already a bizarre choice, but switching the court back mid-tournament is unprecedented. The conference had to know all eyes would be on the court, and it would be under severe scrutiny.

The LED court came with its fair share of criticism and was definitely the talking point in the college basketball world. The conference got people talking, and that was the goal at the end of the day. Ultimately, the backlash prevailed and forced a change.

this Big 12 court has got to go. Players slipping like crazy pic.twitter.com/hdtAqT1Tki
— The Best of Sports (@SportsGreatest0) March 13, 2026

The players' slipping and the safety of the athletes were too much to ignore. The court was a cool idea, but it never should have happened on such a big stage. Hopefully, Yormark and the conference have learned their lesson moving forward.

It will be interesting to see if the Big 12 comes with a revised LED court next season, or if they will just chalk it up as a failure. Either way, the classic hardwood will make a return tonight when the Wildcats battle the Cyclones to determine who will advance to the Big 12 championship game.