Texas Tech Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt Addresses the Media and Reiterates Texas Tech’s Committment to the Big 12 [AUDIO]

Just after 3 o'clock this afternoon, Texas Tech Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt addressed the media concerning the desire of the Big 12 Conference to keep Texas A&M in the conference and Texas Tech's future in the Big 12 Conference.

Hocutt first stated that the Big 12 Conference Board of Director's statement from last night stands. Hocutt also said, "Speaking on behalf of Texas Tech, we value Texas A&M as a member of the Big 12 Conference. It's our hope and our desire and wish they remain a part of the Big 12 Conference and hopefully that will be the case. Just as important, we continue to monitor (the situation) as a university and our focus will continue to be doing what is best for Texas Tech University. And what is best for Texas Tech University is continuing to be a proud member of the Big 12 Conference and a part of the Big 12 Conference in the future."

Hocutt was asked if this week's news of Texas A&M talking about leaving the Big 12 was a surprise. "Well, I think any of us would be not honest with ourselves if we didn't say we were disappointed to be in this position again. It was our hope that we would not be, we didn't believe we would be, but we are. "

SportsRadio 1340 The Fan and the Avalanche-Journal's Don Williams (pictured) asked Hocutt how many schools does the Big 12 Conference need to have to be viable.  Hocutt responded, "Right now, I think 10 (teams) is a good number. 10 is a number we all feel comfortable with. 10 is a number that I think sets us apart from the rest of the country and provides a tremendous competitive schedule for us and true champion in football and other sports. Right now, this my personal opinion, that 10 is a good number. But it is a difficult question to answer as well because television is such a prominent piece of what we do and as we go forward, if there is change, we'll be in communication with our television partners to find out the best position for the Big 12 Conference as we move forward."

You can listen to the full audio of the press conference in the MP3 player below: