Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Big 12 was hoping to drum up some attention for its conference tournament with the help of the digital court it unveiled in Kansas City. However, that experiment will come to a premature end after it managed to do exactly that for all the wrong reasons.
Wood has been the go-to surface for basketball courts since James Naismith nailed up a peach basket inside a gym in Springfield, Massachusetts 135 years ago. Plenty of players have honed their skills on other surfaces while playing pickup games, but virtually every showdown that most people would classify as “competitive” unfolds on the hardwood.
That is the case with every single college basketball game in the United States, and while the NCAA rulebook devotes 10 pages to detailing how the court should be set up, it doesn’t actually contain any language concerning the material of the surface.
The Big 12 was consequently allowed to buck tradition for this year’s conference tournament by turning to a digital court that was installed at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City ahead of its men’s and women’s postseason gauntlets. However, it ended up being a fairly short-lived experiment.
The Big 12 is switching back to a hardwood court after its digital surface caused plenty of controversy during the conference tournament
The court in question is produced by the German company ASB GlassFloor, which was responsible for the one that was unveiled at the U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Madrid in 2023 and was also used for the NBA All-Star Game in 2024.
It’s easy to understand the appeal, as the customizable nature of the court can theoretically enhance the viewing experience and, more importantly (at least as organizers are concerned), boost revenue thanks to the increased sponsorship opportunities it presents.
The floor itself features LED panels covered in glass that is peppered with ” gritty, ceramic dots” that are designed to increase grip. The company referred to that feature as a “secret sauce” that sets it apart, but it may need to go back into the research kitchen due to what unfolded at the Big 12 tournament.
The slippery nature of the court drew plenty of complaints from players during the women’s tourney (where it also made headlines due to a drink ban linked to the technology), and those gripes did not magically disappear by the time the men arrived in Missouri.
Kansas State players also voiced their displeasure with the slick nature of the floor while noting the lights induced a migraine in one member of the team, and the hits just kept on coming in the form of the slips that were impossible to ignore.
Things seemingly hit a tipping point when Texas Tech star Christian Anderson exited his team’s loss to Iowa State with a groin injury after becoming the latest player to fall victim to the floor.
According to ESPN, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark decided to wave the white flag ahead of the semifinals, releasing a statement that reads:
“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.
We look forward to a great Semifinals and Championship Game.”
Don’t cry because it’s over. Cry because it happened in the first place.