Baylor Hoops to Face ACC Foe in Vegas this Season
A matchup of two recent national champions is set for the 2022-23 season, as CBS Sports reported Tuesday that the Baylor Bears and Virginia Cavaliers will face-off in the first round of the 2022 Roman Main Event at T-Mobile Area in Las Vegas on Friday, Nov. 18. Tipoff time is currently TBD.
The report states that the UCLA Bruins and Illinois Fighting Illini will be the other two teams competing in the four-team tournament.
The first round of the event will begin on Nov. 18, while the consolation and championship games will tip off on Sunday, Nov. 20.
The tournament has been held every year since 2014, except for 2020. The Arizona Wildcats won the event last season.
November's matchup will be just the second all-time meeting between Baylor and Virginia. The Bears and coach Bill Menefee won the first-ever meeting in December of 1968, defeating the Cavaliers 79-61. Baylor would finish the season 18-6 and tied the highest ranking in program history up to that point at No. 18 in the AP poll.
Since then, both programs have transformed into two of the best in college basketball. Virginia won a national title in 2019 after taking down Baylor's Big 12 rival Texas Tech in a thrilling finish.
After a COVID-shortened season prevented March Madness from being held in the spring of 2020, Baylor became the next national champ with a dominating performance over Gonzaga last season.
Last season, Virginia finished with a 21-14 record but failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Baylor was a No. 1 seed but fell to eventual runner-up North Carolina in the second round.
With a new season on the horizon, the matchup of two championship-winning programs should make for an exciting early-season slugfest in Las Vegas this fall.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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