Tag: Big 12 SEC Challenge

No. 10 Texas drops Big 12/SEC battle to No. 4 Tennessee

No. 4 Tennessee got the better of No. 10 Texas on Saturday night in its Big 12/SEC challenge matchup.

Rick Barnes and No. 4 Tennessee got the better of No. 10 Texas on Saturday night in its Big 12/SEC challenge matchup. The Vols controlled the game from start to finish, cruising to an 82-71 victory.

A first-half scoring drought of nearly seven minutes put Texas in a hole early on. Tennessee’s top-ranked defense held Texas’ leading scorer Marcus Carr to just 11 points on the night.

Rebounding was the story of the game as Tennessee dominated the boards, outrebounding Texas 38-24. The Horns’ defense had no answers for Tennessee’s Olivier Nkamhoua and Zakai Zeigler. Both Vols scored over 20 points in the win.

Sir’Jabari Rice led the way for Texas with a solid 21-point effort. Four of five Texas starters were held under 10 points for the first time all season.

Texas falls to 17-4 on the season with a difficult Big 12 stretch on the horizon. The Longhorns host red-hot Baylor on Monday night with massive implications in the conference standings on the line.

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Texas fans, others react to early Big 12-SEC challenge action

The Big 12 is off to a good start in early action.

It’s way too early to draw conclusions about Big 12-SEC action. But if early results hold in the later matchups, there might not be much debate for which group has the stronger basketball conference.

The Oklahoma Sooners (11-9) led No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (18-2) by a score of 50-33 at half. This comes after the Tide’s arch rival No. 15 Auburn got bested by eight-loss West Virginia, 80-77.

There’s still plenty of basketball to be played, but should No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 Tennessee fall today, it would do damage to the conference’s perception.

The SEC has made significant strides in basketball in recent seasons. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes and Alabama rising star Nate Oats have raised the conference’s reputation opposite Kentucky. Today’s games could take the SEC’s tone down a notch in the eyes of college basketball followers.

Here’s a look at how some are processing early action.

PREDICTIONS: Texas vs Tennessee and the Big 12-SEC challenge

Texas’ high scoring offense faces Tennessee’s elite defense on the road.

A big Saturday is ahead for the Big 12 and the SEC. Texas and Tennessee are one of the highlights of the series.

Former Texas coach Rick Barnes and the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers play host to the No. 10 Texas Longhorns.

Tennessee presents the best defense the Longhorns will have faced. The Volunteers have ranked toward the top of the country in multiple defensive categories.

As far as what Tennessee brings offensively, the group is unremarkable compared to some of the better offenses Texas has faced. The Vols score 74.1 points per game (No. 88 in NCAA) to the Longhorns’ 80.5 (No. 16).

The clash should pull the Texas scoring average down, but Rick Barnes’ team has proven vulnerable against athletic mismatches like the Longhorns. The Vols recently lost to Kentucky by 7 in Knoxville.

Texas will look to get over its road struggles over the 2023 season. Here’s a look at how the games could unfold.

Looking at how Texas might fare in Big 12-SEC challenge

Texas travels to Rick Barnes’ new home on Saturday.

We have finally reached the week of the year dedicated to matchups between the Big 12 and the SEC. The two conferences produce several tournament challengers, but the Longhorns may have the biggest opportunity of any participating team.

The No. 10 Texas Longhorns travel to face the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers in what could define where Texas lands in the NCAA Tournament bracket. The Longhorns already have resume boosting wins over Gonzaga and TCU, but another nonconference victory over a top 10 team would go a long way toward a Top 3 seed.

Tennessee brings back many of the same characters from Texas’ 52-51 win last season in Austin. Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler, Josiah Jordan-James and Uros Plavsic would figure to have a significant role in the outcome of the game.

The above players, though solid, don’t necessarily create matchup problems Texas faces in Big 12 play. Plavsic certainly has a decided height advantage on Longhorns bigs. Even so, Rodney Terry’s team could secure a huge road win over Tennessee.

Here’s a look at the matchups set for Saturday.

College Basketball: Results from each game of the Big 12/SEC challenge

The SEC got the better of the Big 12 this year.

The SEC got the better of the Big 12 in this year’s edition of the Big 12/SEC challenge, winning six of the ten games. The second year in a row the SEC has won the challenge.

The big shocker of the day was the top two teams in the Big 12 being upset. No. 4 Baylor was rattled on the road against Alabama and No. 5 Kansas was handed a rare home loss by No. 12 Kentucky.

The Big 12 did have a couple of upsets in their favor. TCU started the day with a dominant bounce-back performance over No. 19 LSU. A big win for Jamie Dixon in Fort Worth.

Texas welcomed Rick Barnes back to town for the final game of the challenge. Tennessee erased a 16-point deficit in the late stages of the game, but Texas was able to hold on for the 52-51 victory.

Here are the results from each game of the Big 12/SEC challenge:

Alabama vs. Baylor: How to watch, stream, listen

Alabama can gain a ton of momentum with a win against the No. 4 Baylor Bears this afternoon.

Alabama hoops has a big game looming this afternoon as the Crimson Tide takes on top-five Baylor at home in the Big 12/SEC Classic.

Coming off of a devastating loss to the Georgia Bulldogs earlier in the week, Nate Oats will hope his team can bounce back and pick up a W against a fifth AP-ranked team this season.

The theme of this season for Alabama has been playing to the level of competition. In games against lesser opponents, the Tide seems to match it. When facing good to great teams, they have met the intensity.

A win against the Baylor Bears will go a long way in repairing the enthusiasm that Alabama fans seem to have lost following the UGA loss.

Tipoff: Jan. 29 at 3:00 p.m. CST

Location: Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL

Television:  ESPN

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network / TuneIn app

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

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How to watch, listen and stream Texas vs. Tennessee on Saturday

Rick Barnes returns to Austin as the Vols and Longhorns will face off in the Big 12/SEC challenge.

Texas (15-5) will host No. 18 Tennessee (14-5) in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. A homecoming game for longtime Texas, now Tennessee coach Rick Barnes.

Barnes spent 17 seasons at Texas before being fired in 2015. He put Texas’ basketball program back on the map and led Texas to 16 NCAA tournament appearances and reached the final four in 2003.

The Longhorns are coming off an impressive performance against TCU in Fort Worth. Timmy Allen had 16 points as Texas dominated the Frogs in all phases of the game en route to a 23-point victory.

Tennesee is entering this game riding high on a three-game win streak, where the Vols have taken down Vanderbilt, LSU and Florida.

The Tennessee matchup marks the start of the make or break point of Texas’ schedule. The Horns will play five straight-ranked opponents.

Here is how to watch this Big 12/SEC battle:

When: Saturday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. CT

Where: Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)

TV Channel: ESPN

Radio: Longhorn Radio Network – 104.9 The Horn

Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

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Texas Longhorns Basketball: Big 12/SEC challenge matchup vs Kentucky canceled

COVID-19 has taken out another basketball game for Texas. The Longhorns were scheduled to take on Kentucky in the Big 12/SEC challenge.

COVID-19 has taken out another basketball game for Texas. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns Basketball: Big 12/SEC challenge matchup vs Kentucky canceled”

UGA basketball left out of SEC/Big 12 Challenge

The Georgia Bulldogs basketball team will no be participating in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge this season.

The Georgia Bulldogs basketball team will no be participating in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge this season. The Dawgs are one of four unlucky SEC basketball programs who won’t participate.

The SEC has 14 basketball teams while the Big 12 has only ten. This means that four SEC teams have to sit out each season. The SEC/Big 12 Challenge is expected to take place on Jan. 30, 2021.

The most interesting games in the series will be Texas at Kentucky, Auburn at Baylor, and Kansas at Tennessee. Last season’s college basketball season ended too soon. Hopefully this season will go smoother.

Here are the SEC’s ten match-ups with the Big 12:

Instead of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, the Dawgs will face off against the Memphis Tigers. UGA upset Memphis last season in what was the high point of the season for the Bulldogs. Georgia loses an elite player in Anthony Edwards to the NBA Draft this offseason.

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Texas faces historic blue blood as Big 12/SEC Challenge matchups announced

For this year’s Big 12/SEC Challenge, Texas will be facing the Kentucky Wildcats. The Longhorns will travel to Lexington on Jan. 30.

Since the 2013-2014 college basketball season, the Big 12 and SEC have faced off against each other in an annual challenge consisting of 10 games. Of the seven years, the Big 12 leads the series 4-1-2, including a tie in last year’s challenge.

For this upcoming season, Texas will be facing one of the sport’s biggest named programs in Kentucky. The Longhorns will travel to Lexington on Jan. 30.

It will be the third career meeting between the two schools and the second since the inception of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

As usual, John Calipari’s Wildcats are going to be led by highly recruited freshman stars. The two stars are going to be two five-star shooting guards in B.J. Boston and Terrance Clarke.

Those two will be lead by four-star point guard Devin Askew out of Mater Dei High School in Pasadena, California. Askew, Boston, and Clarke are going to form one of the most dynamic young backcourts in all of college basketball.

However, the biggest question will be the eligibility of big man Olivier Sarr. The Wake Forest transfer is still waiting for a waiver approval from the SEC despite getting approval from the NCAA. If Sarr plays for Kentucky he will bring 13.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game with him.

As deep as Texas’ roster is, the matchup will be the experience of the Longhorns against the youth of the Wildcats. Texas’ one freshman on the roster, Greg Brown, chose to come to Austin instead of Kentucky and will be looking to prove that it was the correct choice.

Calipari has the upper hand over Shaka Smart when it comes to coaching but also recently hired former Texas assistant Jai Lucas. His knowledge of the ins and outs of the Longhorns will give the Wildcats that much bigger of an advantage.

All 10 Big 12 schools will be participating while four SEC teams will not play in the challenge. Here are the rest of the matchups:

  • Florida at West Virginia
  • Texas Tech at LSU
  • Kansas at Tennessee
  • Auburn at Baylor
  • Iowa State at Mississippi State
  • Alabama at Oklahoma
  • TCU at Missouri
  • Arkansas at Oklahoma State
  • Texas A&M at Kansas State
  • SEC teams not participating: Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt

Texas is 3-4 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, getting two victories over Vanderbilt and one against Ole Miss. Kentucky, LSU has gotten one over the Longhorns, while Georgia won in Athens twice.

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