College basketball: ESPN releases Big 12/SEC Challenge full schedule

ESPN has announced the start times and television network designations for the 2022 Big 12/SEC Challenge on January 29, 2022. This is the ninth annual meeting between the two conferences, who have a newfound tension following this summer’s news that Oklahoma and Texas plan to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in 2025.

The one-day event will spread across three of ESPN’s networks with start times ranging from noon to 8 p.m. ET. Through the first two years of the Big 12/SEC Challenge, the games were spread across multiples days in November and December.

The SEC won the 2021 SEC/Big 12 Challenge with five wins in nine games played. The SEC holds a 25-24 record over the past five years of the event. The last six years have featured the current one-day format which breaks up the conference schedule with a cross-conference showdown in the middle of January.

All Big 12 teams are set to take part in the event with the top 10 finishers from the SEC earning a spot. Each team will be matched with an evenly matched opponent across conference lines. For example, conference champions Alabama and Baylor will meet in Tuscaloosa.

Big 12/SEC Challenge (All Times ET)

12:00 p.m. – LSU at TCU [ESPN2]

2:00 p.m. – West Virginia at Arkansas [ESPN/2]

2:00 p.m. – Oklahoma at Auburn [ESPN/2]

2:00 p.m. – Missouri at Iowa State [ESPNU]

4:00 p.m. – Baylor at Alabama [ESPN/2]

4:00 p.m. – Oklahoma State at Florida [ESPN/2]

4:00 p.m. – Kansas State at Ole Miss [ESPNU]

6:00 p.m. – Kentucky at Kansas [ESPN]

6:00 p.m. – Mississippi State at Texas Tech [ESPN2]

8:00 p.m. – Tennessee at Texas [ESPN]

Notes on the schedule

The first key feature of this schedule to notice is that it is not finalized. ESPN has reserved the right to shift certain games across different networks based on the current state of each team and the other matchups on the board at the time of the event.

West Virginia and Arkansas will compete head-to-head with Oklahoma and Auburn for the 2 p.m. slot, with a lot of potential in each squad. The 4 p.m. slot could prove Alabama a chance to face defending champion Baylor on ESPN or ESPN2, based on the what the network sees from Oklahoma and Florida.

In the prime time slot, former Texas coach Rick Barnes brings his Tennessee squad into Austin with a chance to face first-year Texas coach Chris Beard.