Taylor Swift, German Shepherds and 5 takeaways from Big 12 basketball media days

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Players and coaches from all 14 conference teams shared their thoughts, feelings and a little bit of humor with the masses during this week's Big 12 basketball media days in the T-Mobile Center.

Kansas, the top-ranked team in the country on the men's side, closed out the festivities on Wednesday with head coach Bill Self revealing he suffered two broken ribs chasing his grandkids around Allen Fieldhouse just before the team's Late Night at Phog scrimmage a few weeks ago.

"One of the least athletic moves of my life," Self said, "and certainly the definition of feeling old."

While nothing groundbreaking was discussed — everybody feels good about their team's chances in the conference, obviously — there were a few fun tidbits that came from the two-day event. Here's a small sampling of them.

Houston's Ronald Hughey sick of cheeseburgers, ready for steak

Houston women's basketball coach Ron Hughey speaks his mind in an entertaining way. During the women's portion of media days Tuesday, Hughey provided a gem of an analogy on the Cougars, who were picked 12th in the preseason coaches poll and enter their first year in the Big 12.

"I explained to our kids," Hughey said Tuesday, "we were at a smaller conference so we have the smaller table. They have the big table. They were eating steaks. We was eating cheeseburgers. So (the Big 12) said, OK, now you're gonna come and play with us, but we're not giving you all the knife and the fork and the plate with the steaks.

"We're still gonna give you the cheeseburgers until you earn and get this. That's why you getting picked twelfth."

More: With expanded Big 12 basketball schedule, teams will have to get creative in non-conference

Pair of Cincinnati transfers have waivers denied

Another new conference addition will be without two key players this season — at least for now.

Cincinnati men's head coach Wes Miller revealed Wednesday that posts Aziz Bandaogo and Jamille Reynolds were each denied waivers "at the staff level" to play right away. Both are second-time transfers would need clearance from the NCAA to play for the Bearcats.

"The issue at hand here," Miller said, "is that we have two players, and there's others out there in America, that were given guidance when they were making life deciisions last spring to transfer, and they were given guidance and guidelines by the NCAA as a path to play.

"They felt they met those guidelines. They made life decisions based on that."

Bandaogo averaged 11.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game at Utah Valley while Reynolds had averages of 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds for Temple last season. Miller said he expects both to be cleared by the appeal committee, but was concerned by the process in general.

Taylor Swift a motivation for BYU

Coming from the West Coast Conference where they were regularly picked second or third in preseason polls, BYU's men found themselves at 13th in the Big 12 coaches rankings.

That's fine for head coach Mark Pope. He's looking at it as a positive because 13 is a lucky number to some.

"I have four daughters," Pope said, "and we managed to make it to a couple of the Taylor Swift concerts this year and her favorite number is thirteen, and I think that bodes well for BYU basketball this season."

Swifties have a lot of power. Can they make the Cougars a power in their new conference?

More: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark details plans to grow women's basketball

UCF teams take different perspectives with last-place preseason rankings

Each of UCF's basketball teams found themselves dead last in the preseason Big 12 coaches polls. The teams have very different ways of viewing it.

The women's team is using it at motivation for their new life in a new conference.

"We're taking it kind of personal," junior guard Kaitlin Peterson said. "Our coach reminds us every day. Hey, fourteenth, that's what they think. We've just been taking it very personal trying to get better."

Johnny Dawkins, head coach of the UCF men's team, has a different philosophy. The Knights have come in last in just about every preseason conference poll released, regardless of the outlet.

"I think for us," Dawkins said Wednesday," it's more or less we just want to go out there and have a winning effort every night. We're not into rankings in October where people think we're going to finish. It's not about that. It's about trying to get better every day. I really don't want my players to get distracted."

Kelvin Sampson lets the dogs out

Of the eight new programs joining the Big 12 men's and women's basketball scene this year, the Houston men are the only one to be picked in the top half of the conference, and for good reason.

The Cougars have been one of the most consistent teams on the national level for the last half decade. They were second in the Big 12 poll and seventh in Associated Press Top 25, which was released Monday. Many see Houston being just as success in the Big 12 as it was in the American Athletic Conference.

Kelvin Sampson has been through the Big 12 scene before, having previously served as head coach at Oklahoma. While he believes his team is ready for the rigors of what's considered the toughest conference in the country, he also knows this version of the Big 12 is very different from the one he experienced at OU.

"The difference is," Sampson said, "I was standing in that — we had a head coaches' meeting a while ago. It was kind of like in a dog park. You've got two dogs walk by each other, kind of side eye or little one starts yapping at the big one and they start sizing each other up.

"I was kind of sizing them all up. I said, it used to be you could look at a few of those little dogs and go, i can get that one, I can get that one, I can get that one. I ain't seen nobody can I get in this conference. That's the difference. They're all German Shepherds, man. Where's the Shih Tzus? Where's the Chihuahuas at? Oh, that's a Rottweiler. Oh, my God, that's a Pit Bull."

As Sampson starting walking off the stage, the DJ emceeing media days showed his timing by playing the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: BYU's Taylor Swift motivation and 5 takeaways from Big 12 basketball media days