Longhorns Country

Texas Basketball Could Play Texas Tech in Non-Conference Next Season

An early-season non-conference tournament could pin the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders against each other once again.
Zach Dimmitt|
Texas Basketball Could Play Texas Tech in Non-Conference Next Season
Texas Basketball Could Play Texas Tech in Non-Conference Next Season

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The Texas Longhorns delivered what appeared to be a triumphant goodbye to their rivalry with Texas Tech last month when they beat the Red Raiders 81-69 in Lubbock in what was seen as the final meeting between the schools.

However, the two longtime in-state rivals could already be playing as non-conferences foes as soon as next season.

Texas men's basketball announced Wednesday that the Longhorns will officially be playing the Legends Classic in Brooklyn next season during an early-season non-conference tournament. The other three teams participating are Texas Tech, Syracuse and St. Joseph's.

The matchups have not been revealed yet, as Texas could face off with any of the three other teams in the first round of the event. If the Longhorns and Red Raiders don't meet in the first round, they could very well battle in the tournament final if both teams win their first game.

The Longhorns split the two regular-season meetings with Texas Tech after falling 78-67 in Austin in the Big 12 opener. The two teams could potentially meet in this week's Big 12 Tournament if the dominoes fall the right way.

Per Texas, the Longhorns will make their fourth appearance in the Legends Classic. Texas played in the inaugural event in 2007 and competed in the tournament in 2011 and 2016. The Longhorns won the Legends Classic in 2007 after taking down Tennessee in the championship game.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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