SEC Wins Second Big 12/SEC Challenge in a Row
The ninth annual Big 12/SEC Challenge was a college basketball fan's dream, including close finishes (five games decided by single digits), four upsets over ranked teams, and a heavyweight showdown between the two winningest programs in college basketball history.
Ultimately, the SEC claimed a 6-4 victory in the 2022 Big 12/SEC Challenge, prevailing over the Big 12 for the second year in a row.
Here's the full list of results for this year's Big 12/SEC Challenge:
| Result | Big 12/SEC Score |
|---|---|
No. 19 LSU 68, TCU 77 | Big 12 1-0 |
Missouri 50, No. 23 Iowa State 67 | Big 12 2-0 |
Oklahoma 68, No. 1 Auburn 86 | Big 12 2-1 |
West Virginia 68, Arkansas 77 | Tied 2-2 |
Kansas State 56, Ole Miss 67 | SEC 3-2 |
No. 4 Baylor 78, Alabama 87 | SEC 4-2 |
Oklahoma State 72, Florida 81 | SEC 5-2 |
Mississippi State 50, No. 13 Texas Tech 76 | SEC 5-3 |
No. 12 Kentucky 80, No. 5 Kansas 62 | SEC 6-3 |
No. 18 Tennessee 51, Texas 52 | SEC 6-4 |
Six of the ten matchups of the Big 12/SEC Challenge pitted a ranked opponent against an unranked opponent. However, home court advantage, rather than AP ranking, proved to be a more important factor in the outcome. Ranked teams were 4-4 in the Challenge, while home teams successfully defended their home floor in nine out of the ten contests.
The Big 12 got off to a good start as TCU pulled the 77-68 upset over No. 19 LSU behind 19-point performances from both Chuck O'Bannon Jr. and Mike Miles. No. 23 Iowa State handily defeated Missouri 67-50 to make it 2-0 in favor of the Big 12.
The SEC then won each of the next five games, beginning with a 86-68 victory by the top-ranked Auburn Tigers over Oklahoma. Arkansas led wire-to-wire in a 77-68 win over West Virginia to even the Challenge at two games apiece. Ole Miss held Kansas State to 30% shooting from the floor in a 67-56 victory over the Wildcats.
In perhaps the most surprising outcome of the Big 12/SEC Challenge, Alabama knocked off No. 4 Baylor 87-78. Jahvon Quinerly had 20 points and Jaden Shackelford added 19 points and nine rebounds to lead the Crimson Tide, who defeated a 2021 Final Four team for the third time this season, having beaten Gonzaga and Houston earlier this year.
Florida got to the free throw line at will against Oklahoma State, as the Gators made 33 free throws on 41 attempts and defeated the Cowboys 81-72 in Gainesville, picking up a fifth win and guaranteeing at least a tie in the Challenge for the SEC.
The Big 12 finally picked up another win as No. 13 Texas Tech shot 61.7% from the field and crushed Mississippi State 76-50 in a dominant performance that saw ten different Red Raiders register a made basket.
The showdown between No. 12 Kentucky and No. 5 Kansas at the Phog was billed as the game of the weekend, but the Wildcats hung 51 points on the Jayhawks in the first half, led by 20 points at halftime, and never looked back in a 80-62 rout of Kansas on Saturday night. Kentucky now leads the all-time NCAA wins race with 2,344 victories as compared to 2,340 wins for Kansas. Kentucky's victory, which was the only game in the Challenge in which the road team won, also clinched the Big 12/SEC Challenge for the SEC, which beat the Big 12 for the second year in a row and third time overall.
In the final game, Texas withstood a late charge by No. 18 Tennessee, who erased a 17-point deficit to tie the game at 51-51 with 90 seconds remaining. A free throw by Timmy Allen with six second left gave the Longhorns the 52-51 victory over the Volunteers.
History of Big 12/SEC Challenge
| Season | Outcome |
|---|---|
2013-2014 | Big 12 won 7-3 |
2014-2015 | Big 12 won 6-4 |
2015-2016 | Big 12 won 7-3 |
2016-2017 | 5-5 tie |
2017-2018 | SEC won 6-4 |
2018-2019 | Big 12 won 6-4 |
2019-2020 | 5-5 tie |
2020-2021 | SEC won 5-4 |
2021-2022 | SEC won 6-4 |
The Big 12 still holds a 4-3-2 advantage over the SEC in the nine-year history of the Big 12/SEC Challenge and the Big 12 is 48-41 against the SEC in all of the games of the Challenge combined.
