Big 12/SEC Challenge

Although we’re in the middle of the College World Series and football is just around the corner, it is never too early to think about basketball.

Pairings for the Ninth Annual Big 12/SEC Men’s Basketball Challenge were announced on Wednesday with 2021 national champion Baylor meeting Alabama and former Texas coach Rick Barnes, now at Tennessee, taking on his old school, Texas, highlighting the slate.

The Challenge will take place on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. The event consists of 10 games as every Big 12 member faces 10 programs from the Southeastern Conference. This marks the seventh consecutive year for all games to be played in one day. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise the contests.

Joining Baylor at Alabama and Tennessee at Texas will be: Missouri at Iowa State; Kentucky at Kansas; Kansas State at Mississippi; Oklahoma at Auburn; Oklahoma State at Florida; LSU at TCU; Mississippi State at Texas Tech; and West Virginia at Arkansas.

The Texas-Tennessee contest will mark the return of former Longhorns head coach Barnes to the Erwin Center in Austin. The all-time winningest coach in Texas program history, Barnes served as head coach at Texas for 17 years (1998-99 through 2014-15) and compiled an overall record of 402-180 (.691). During his 17 seasons in Austin, Barnes led the Longhorns to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including five trips to the NCAA Sweet 16, three to the Elite Eight and one to the Final Four (2003). A four-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year (1999, 2003, 2008 and 2014), Barnes guided Texas to three Big 12 titles (1999, 2006 and 2008).

Texas and Tennessee have split the previous six meetings. In the first matchup (Dec. 18, 1952), the Volunteers registered a 66-59 win in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Longhorns posted a 77-73 victory in Little Rock, Arkansas on Dec. 21, 1960 and added a 95-70 win in the third-place game at the EA Sports Maui Invitational (Maui, Hawaii) on Nov. 24, 2004. Tennessee recorded a 95-78 victory in the only previous game played in Austin (Dec. 17, 2005), and the Volunteers also registered a 111-105 overtime win in Knoxville on Dec. 23, 2006. In the most recent meeting between the two schools (Nov. 24, 2007), Texas claimed a 97-78 victory in the championship game of the StubHub! Legends Classic in Newark, New Jersey.

The Longhorns are 3-4 in the Challenge with the Volunteers at 5-2.

Baylor and Alabama have met nine times with the Crimson Tide having won seven games. The Bears won the last meeting, a 73-68 decision in the 2019 Challenge in Waco.

The Bears are 7-1 in the Challenge with ‘Bama at 3-2.

It will be the first meeting between the Horned Frogs and the Tigers in 35 seasons. LSU leads the all-time series 3-1. TCU won the previous meeting 83-74 on Nov. 21, 1986 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU last played at TCU on Dec. 17, 1960.

TCU is 4-4 all-time in the Big 12/SEC Challenge with wins over Florida, Mississippi State, Mississippi and Tennessee. LSU is 2-3.

The Red Raiders are 5-3 all-time in the Big 12/SEC Challenge after earning a 76-71 win over LSU last season in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. TTU is 2-0 against Mississippi State in program history and will be hosting the Bulldogs in Lubbock for the first time.

Texas Tech earned a 74-72 win over Mississippi State in the last matchup on Nov. 20, 2015 in San Juan, Puerto Rico before securing a 77-73 victory on Nov. 29, 2008 in Newark, New Jersey. TTU is 3-1 hosting a Big 12/SEC Challenge game with its only loss coming in overtime to Kentucky in the 2020 season. The Red Raiders have home victories in the event over Arkansas, LSU and Auburn.

The Bulldogs are 1-2 in the Challenge.

Big 12 teams are 44-35 (.557) in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Big 12 has a yearly Challenge record of 4-2-2 with wins in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019. One game was canceled in 2021 (Texas at Kentucky) due to COVID. The SEC won in 2021, 5-4. Ties occurred in 2017 and 2020. In case of a tie, the trophy stays with the conference that won it the previous season.

Television designations and game times will be announced when available.

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