Recap of Saturday’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge
AP Photo/James Crisp
This past Saturday marked the tenth annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge in NCAA Men’s College Basketball. Featuring 10 games with teams from opposing conferences, the SEC and Big 12 squared off with many talented teams and competitive games. Because the Southeastern Conference has 14 teams compared to the 10 of the Big 12 Conference, four SEC teams did not participate in a game this year: Georgia, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.
The Big 12 has been the best overall conference this year top to bottom, and that showed as the Big 12 won overall by going 7-3 on Saturday. Here’s a quick rundown of each game.
#15 Auburn (SEC) vs. West Virginia (Big 12)
West Virginia def. Auburn 80-77
Despite Auburn’s #15 ranking in the AP Poll, West Virginia was favored in this matchup as the home team. Auburn came up just short with a missed three-pointer at the buzzer. Senior guard Erik Stevenson poured in seven three-pointers and a career-high 31 points to lead the Mountaineers to victory.
#2 Alabama (SEC) vs. Oklahoma (Big 12)
Oklahoma def. Alabama 93-69
The most surprising of all the matchups, Oklahoma handed Alabama their biggest loss of the season, as they dominated the entire game. Solid defense and hot shooting was too much for Alabama to keep up with. Grant Sherfield led the way with 30 points and 6 assists as the unranked Sooners took down the number two ranked team in the country.
#12 Iowa State (Big 12) vs. Missouri (SEC)
Missouri def. Iowa State 78-61
Missouri also used their home court advantage to pull off an upset over Iowa State. The Tigers were in control for nearly the entire game, and this big win will really boost their resume for their NCAA Tournament seed. Kobe Brown posted 20 points and 12 rebounds for Missouri in one of their more impressive overall performances of the season.
Texas Tech (Big 12) vs. LSU (SEC)
Texas Tech def. LSU 76-68
Coming into the game on a losing streak of eight games, Texas Tech beat LSU to extend their losing streak to eight games as well. These teams have been underwhelming lately, but one of them had to have their losing streak snapped. Despite being winless in conference play, Texas Tech, led by Kevin Obanor’s 22 points, was finally able to get a win, albeit an out of conference one against the SEC.
Arkansas (SEC) vs. #17 Baylor (Big 12)
Baylor def. Arkansas 67-64
A tight game throughout, Baylor hung on to get the win over Arkansas. A missed free-throw and tap out by Arkansas in the final seconds gave them an opportunity at tying the game, but they could not convert. Freshman guard Keyonte George, one of the nation’s top freshmen and a projected lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, had a team-high 24 points for the Bears.
#11 TCU (Big 12) vs. Mississippi State (SEC)
Mississippi State def TCU 81-74 (OT)
The story of this one was injuries for the Horned Frogs. Starting center Eddie Lampkin Jr. missed the game due to injury, and leading scorer Mike Miles Jr. hyperextended his knee early on and didn’t return. It was too much to overcome as they came up short in overtime. Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith had a great all-around game with a season-high 27 points along with 13 rebounds and 5 assists.
Florida (SEC) vs. #5 Kansas State (Big 12)
Kansas State def. Florida 64-50
Keyontae Johnson has been terrific for Kansas State this year. He spent four years at Florida, but after collapsing on the court due to a heart condition two seasons ago, Johnson sat out a year and then transferred to Kansas State. Johnson put up 13 points and 11 rebounds in this game versus his old team as the Wildcats took care of business at home.
#10 Texas (Big 12) vs #4 Tennessee (SEC)
Tennessee def. Texas 82-71
Tennessee looked dominant in this top-10 matchup, and the only matchup on the slate featuring two ranked teams. Tennessee was able to build and maintain a lead from about the midway mark of the first half. As a very complete all-around team, the Volunteers utilized key performances of 27 points and 8 rebounds from Olivier Nkamhoua and 22 points and 10 assists from Zakai Ziegler to lead them to victory in this one.
Ole Miss (SEC) vs. Oklahoma State (Big 12)
Oklahoma State def. Ole Miss 82-60
Senior forward Kalib Boone led the scoring for Oklahoma State with 18 points as they easily handled Ole Miss at home. Oklahoma State will need to prove themselves throughout the rest of the season if they want to make the NCAA Tournament, and they will have opportunities to do so if they can string together some wins against their talented Big 12 foes.
#9 Kansas (Big 12) vs. Kentucky (SEC)
Kansas def. Kentucky 77-68
In perhaps the most anticipated matchup of the slate, Kansas traveled to Kentucky for a battle of two blue bloods. The storied and historically great programs gave us a great game. Kansas was able to snap their own three-game losing streak and Kentucky’s four-game winning streak. A close game throughout, Kansas was able to pull through behind 22 points and 8 rebounds from Jalen Wilson.
These two conferences will have many teams among them in the NCAA Tournament come March. Kansas won last year, but will this year’s National Champion come from either of these conferences?
