Texas Longhorns to Play Former Big 12 Rival Next Season

The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team is gearing up for a highly-anticipated season this fall under head coach Sean Miller.

Texas has already put together what is seen as one of the best rosters in the country. Now, the focus is shifting toward finalizing the rest of the 2026-27 schedule.

The Longhorns know which SEC teams they will be facing during conference play, but now an interesting non-conference matchup is reportedly close to be set.

Texas Set to Play Baylor Next Season

Baylor's head coach Scott Drew watches during the first round game between Colgate University and Baylor University in the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, March 22, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

According to reports from college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the Longhorns are in the process of finalizing a non-conference matchup with the Baylor Bears. The neutral-site game is set to be played on Nov. 15 in San Antonio at the Frost Bank Center, home of the Spurs.

The game will pin the two former Southwest Conference and Big 12 rivals against each other once again for the first time since Texas left the Big 12 following the 2023 season. Baylor leads the all-time series 23-21, with the most recent meeting happening during the 2023-24 season when the Bears beat the Longhorns 93-85 in Waco despite 33 points from Texas guard Max Abmas.

Earlier that same season, Texas guard Tyrese Hunter hit a running layup at the buzzer to give the unranked Longhorns a 75-73 win over No. 9 Baylor in front of the home crowd in Austin.

However, those two games feel like ages ago. Texas is settling into the second year under Miller while Baylor, which won the National Championship in 2021, is coming off of a disappointing 17-17 season under future Hall of Fame coach Scott Drew. Not counting the cancellation of March Madness in 2020, last season marked the first time that Baylor failed to make the NCAA Tournament since the 2017-18 campaign.

Baylor will be looking for a major bounce-back year, and could get an early-season boost with a potential upset win over a Texas team that may very well start the 2026-27 campaign in the Top 10 of the AP Poll.

Despite falling short of expectations last season, the ever-changing world of college basketball means that Baylor could quickly return to form next year thanks to the presence of an elite coach in Drew.

If Texas can come away with the win, it could age well and go a long way in boosting the team's NCAA Tournament resume.

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