Power Ranking the Big 12-SEC Challenge games from best to worst

by:Aaron Torres•06/23/21

There are certain moments every year that let you know change is coming. When the leaves change and the air cools, you know it’s fall. When flowers bloom and the birds chirp, you know it’s spring. And when we get the scheduled matchups for the Big 12-SEC Challenge, you know that we are officially, smack dab in the middle of summer.

That’s right, we did officially get those matchups on Tuesday via Jon Rothstein, and with it, come some really, REALLY fun matchups come next winter time. The Big 12 is always tough, with Baylor coming off a title run, Kansas always in the mix and Texas reloaded under Chris Beard. On the flip side, the SEC is not only a fast-rising conference, but one that absolutely cleaned up in the transfer portal, adding significant talent across the board.

So what are the matchups to watch in this year’s Big 12-SEC Challenge? Let’s power rank them.

NOTE: I have added rankings from my most recent “Way Too Early Top 25” to signify how I think these teams will be.

No. 8 Kentucky at No. 4 Kansas

I mean, let’s be honest: Doesn’t “Kentucky at Kansas” just sound huge? Two elite brands. Two iconic coaches. Two passionate fan-bases. One historic building. There are definitely worse ways to spend a Saturday night.

And what’s especially awesome about this matchup is that both should be significantly better next year off down seasons (at least relatively speaking) for each program.

At this point, we know about Kentucky’s off-season resurgence, as the entire program has been made over. All-SEC point guard Sahvir Wheeler is in from Georgia, and with five-star guard TyTy Washington, Davidson transfer Kellan Grady and Iowa’s CJ Fredrick, the Wildcats should have some of the best shooting in college hoops. Oscar Tshiebwe and Keion Brooks are among those who will provide size and toughness down low.

Kansas’s off-season rebuild wasn’t as aggressive, but equally as important for Bill Self. Yes, the Jayhawks finished second in the Big 12 last year, but there were frustrating moments, capped by a near 40-point loss in the NCAA Tournament to USC. Self got to work in the portal as well, adding All-Pac 12 guard Remy Martin and Iowa State wing Jalen Coleman-Lands. Virtually every marquee player is expected to be back next season too.

Both these teams are in the Top 10 of my most recent “Way Too Early Top 25.” And I see no reason that they can’t be there when they take the court at Phog Allen this winter either.

No. 17 Tennessee at No. 12 Texas

Like Kentucky-Kansas above, both these teams are in my “Way Too Early Top 25” for next season. But this one isn’t just about the game on the floor as much as the external factors surrounding this game.

The first is that well, we have… Rick Barnes’ return to Texas! It’s easy to forget now with all the success that he’s had at Tennessee the last few years, but Barnes spent nearly two decades in Austin, taking the Longhorns to the Final Four in 2002. And he’ll bring with him a team good enough to make the Final Four next year too, with a backcourt  featuring five-star guard Kennedy Chandler and Auburn transfer Justin Powell, as well as the return of John Fulkerson down low.

The other reason this matchup is so damn intriguing is because by the time this game is played in late January or early February we’ll kind of know just how good Chris Beard’s first team at Texas is. I argued on the Aaron Torres Podcast the other day (which you can download here) that Beard is about to build college hoops’ next great power in Austin, and so far he’s delivered, with five marquee transfers that he’s plucked out of the portal. Most notably, they include All-Pac 12 guard Timmy Allen and forward Dylan Disu, who led the SEC in rebounding last year. The most recent addition, Tre Mitchell averaged 18 points per game at UMass last year.

Add in a couple of returnees from last year’s squad and a five-star guard and this will Beard’s most talented team since he became a college basketball coach.

No. 13 Baylor at No. 7 Alabama

Yet another matchup of two teams I have ranked in the Top 15 of my “Way Too Early Top 25.” And in terms of stylistically, this might be the most fun game on the docket.

Baylor is of course the defending champs, and while they lose a bunch of key pieces (including four starters off their title team) they do bring a bunch of talent back. Matthew Mayer, Adam Flagler and others were key contributors last season in Waco, and James Akinjo is a transfer point guard from Arizona who was All-Pac-12 first team last season. Kendall Brown is a five-star, McDonald’s All-American on the wing.

As for Bama, well, you know exactly what you’re going to get from Nate Oats club: Fast, furious and aggressive basketball on both ends of the floor. While SEC Player of the Year Herbert Jones has departed along with John Petty, the Tide are still expected to return their top two scores (leading scorer Jaden Shackleford is currently testing the NBA Draft waters but is expected to return) and they’ll be buoyed by a pair of former McDonald’s All-Americans in the backcourt. JD Davison was one of the most talented recruits in this year’s high school class, while Texas Tech transfer Nimari Burnett was a McDonald’s All-American in 2020.

Should Joshua Primo return (he too is testing the draft waters) he has the potential to be a breakout star.

(Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports)

West Virginia at No. 10 Arkansas

The intrigue of this game relies heavily on whether or not West Virginia star Miles “Deuce” McBride comes back to college for or not. Should he come back, the Mountaineers will likely be a Top 15 team to start the season and dark horse to compete for the Big 12 title. If he doesn’t, they might not even be an NCAA Tournament team.

As for Arkansas, well, if you follow college hoops at all, you know the story there. Eric Musselman is the transfer portal guru, as he has added five marquee players this off-season via the portal. The most notable are a pair of guards who averaged 15+ points per game in the ACC last year, Chris Lykes and Au’Diese Toney, who played at Miami and Pitt respectively. What makes this year’s Hogs different however is they return several key contributors from their Elite Eight run last March, including guards Devo Davis and JD Notae as well as forward Jaylin Williams.

Arkansas is a team that is good enough to win the SEC next season.

No. 20 Oklahoma State at Florida

What’s intriguing about this game is that – in my opinion – Oklahoma State might be one of the most underappreciated teams in college hoops coming into this season. Yes, Cade Cunningham is gone, but the Cowboys return just about everyone else off of a team that was probably one of the 10 best teams in college hoops next year. They’ve also added three marquee players from the portal; former McDonald’s All-American Bryce Thompson (who began his career at Kansas) and forward Woody Newton (great name! from Syracuse) and Tyreek Smith (Texas Tech).

Then there is Florida, and for as critical as I’ve been of Mike White, he too reloaded via the transfer portal this off-season. The most noteworthy name here is Myreon Jones, who was Penn State’s leading scorer last season.

Still, I really am curious if White will have success transitioning from high-profile high school recruits to low maintenance transfers. By the time this game is played, we should know.

Oklahoma at No. 24 Auburn

One, I bet ya forgot that Oklahoma will enter this game with Porter Moser as their new head coach. You did, didn’t you? It’s all good. With Lon Kruger retired the former Loyola-Chicago coach has arrived in Norman, and has brought reinforcements with him. Just three scholarship players remain from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, but Oklahoma has a bunch of transfers in, including Jordan Goldwire (Duke) and forward Tanner Groves, who dropped 35 points on Kansas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last season for Eastern Washington.

Then there is Auburn, yet another SEC program which just absolutely cleaned up in the transfer portal. Bruce Pearl added former McDonald’s All-American Walker Kessler and he will play alongside freshman Jabari Smith, in what Pearl believes is as talented a frontcourt as any in college hoops.

Shameless plug: I had Pearl on the Aaron Torres Podcast a few weeks ago, and he was great, not only discussing his team, but the state of college hoops as a whole. And I absolutely encourage you to check it out.


Mississippi State at Texas Tech

Please, please, stop me if you heard this before, but Mississippi State was yet another program to reload in the transfer portal this off-season. And with it, they may have something resembling close to a Top 25 team, as former All-ACC first team forward Garrison Brooks arrives, as does Michigan State starting guard Rocket Watts and Memphis forward DJ Jeffries. They should form an NCAA Tournament caliber team alongside notable returnees including Iverson Molinar, who averaged 17 points per game for the Bulldogs last year.

Then there is Texas Tech which will begin life without Chris Beard this fall. He is replaced by Mark Adams, a 63-year-old first time head coach who was Beard’s right hand man these last few seasons in Lubbock.

It’s hard to imagine the Red Raiders not taking at least a tiny step back, but with several returnees led by Kevin McCullar (with the possibility wing TJ Shannon still returns following the NBA Draft process), Texas Tech should at least be in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth.

LSU at TCU

Don’t say it…

Don’t say it…

DON’T SAY IT…..

Yes, LSU is yet ANOTHER SEC team which has upgraded its roster via the portal, with guards Adam Miller (LSU) and Xavier Pinson (Missouri) and forward Tari Eason (Cincinnati) joining several key returnees from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Five-star forward Efton Reid has arrived in Baton Rouge as well to provide bulk down low.

As for TCU, well, it’s hard to argue that things have gone as planned in the Jamie Dixon era in Fort Worth. After winning the NIT in Year 1 with the Horned Frogs and making the NCAA Tournament in 2018, TCU has missed the tournament each of the last three seasons.

This year doesn’t look significantly better on paper, although Texas Tech transfer Micah Peavy has All-Big 12 type potential.

Kansas State at Ole Miss

There is almost literally nothing intriguing about this game, other than that Ole Miss could be a frisky, middle of the pack SEC team that pulls off enough upsets to be in the bubble mix come tournament time. The Rebels return a couple nice pieces (including second-leading scorer Jarkel Joiner), and Duke transfer Jaemyn Brakefield has the talent to eventually evolve into an All-SEC type player down the line.

As for Kansas State, well, they quietly won four of their final six games. So there’s a chance they could be a bit undervalued coming into the season.

Missouri at Iowa State

A few thoughts, and a few thoughts only on this game:

It feels like the Cuonzo Martin experience has come full circle in Columbia, from “so much promise with Michael Porter” to “peaking with a first round NCAA Tournament loss last season.” The tourney run probably bought Martin some extra time. But if he hasn’t built the Tigers into a legit SEC contender at this point, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to happen.

Then there’s Iowa State, which replaced Steve Prohm this off-season with TJ Otzelberger.

Otzelberger was of course Fred Hoiberg’s right hand man during the glory days of a decade ago, so I get why the hire was made. But I’m sorry, when the two selling points to the team this season are

1) We hired a guy who just went 29-30 in two years at UNLV

2) We added a bunch of non-descript transfers to the least talented roster in the conference

Well, it’s hard for me to get excited.

Let’s just say, this game just has “noon tip-off on ESPNU” written all over it.

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