The Southeastern and Big 12 conferences have announced an extension of their women's basketball challenge that will expand to 10 games in 2016 and 2017. Texas A&M takes on Oklahoma in the 2015 version of the challenge in a neutral site game in Oklahoma City, then hosts West Virginia in 2017-18 after a 1-year hiatus from the event.
Ten teams from the SEC will participate while every team from the Big 12 will take part in the Challenge each season. The format features five home games on campus sites for each conference per year. Teams will not face the same opponent twice.Â
"We are excited to see the SEC/Big 12 Challenge expand in women's basketball," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. "The matchups on these four days, each year, will showcase the strength and depth of our women's basketball teams and provide the fans of both conferences with exhilarating games."
The Aggies face Oklahoma in the previously-announced 2015 Big 12-SEC Challenge, which takes place in Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena, site of the 2016 Big 12 Tournament. Texas plays Arkansas in the other game of the doubleheader event on December 20, 2015.
Texas A&M and Oklahoma have squared off 47 times in women's basketball, with Oklahoma leading the series 26-21, but the Aggies have captured seven of the last eight meetings with the Sooners, dating back to 2010. One of the marquee regular season wins in program history came against Oklahoma, as the No. 12 Aggies knocked off the then-No. 2 Sooners 57-56 in Reed Arena during the 2008-09 season. The Sooners reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
West Virginia visits College Station for the 2017 Big 12/SEC Women's Basketball Challenge, on a date that is still to be determined. West Virginia has only played Texas A&M once, a 55-52 Aggie win in 2006-07 during the Loyola Marymount Thanksgiving Classic. The Mountaineers advanced to the finals of the WNIT in 2015.
The Aggies will not play in the 2016 version of the challenge.
The inaugural challenge was held in 2014 in Little Rock, Ark., and featured a top 5 matchup with No. 3 Texas squaring off against No. 4 Texas A&M. Oklahoma and Arkansas, who were both receiving votes in the Associated Press Poll, played in the second game. The conferences split the Challenge with the two games decided by a total of nine points.Â
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2016 SEC/Big 12 Women's Basketball Challenge Matchups
Baylor at Tennessee
Mississippi State at Iowa State
Kansas at Alabama
Auburn at Kansas State
Oklahoma at Kentucky
Georgia at Oklahoma State
TCU at Florida
South Carolina at Texas
Texas Tech at Arkansas
Ole Miss at West Virginia
2017 Big 12/SEC Women's Basketball Challenge Matchups
Kentucky at Baylor
Iowa State at Vanderbilt
Arkansas at Kansas
Kansas State at Missouri
Florida at Oklahoma
Oklahoma State at Mississippi State
Alabama at TCU
Texas at Georgia
LSU at Texas Tech
West Virginia at Texas A&M
Ten teams from the SEC will participate while every team from the Big 12 will take part in the Challenge each season. The format features five home games on campus sites for each conference per year. Teams will not face the same opponent twice.Â
"We are excited to see the SEC/Big 12 Challenge expand in women's basketball," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. "The matchups on these four days, each year, will showcase the strength and depth of our women's basketball teams and provide the fans of both conferences with exhilarating games."
The Aggies face Oklahoma in the previously-announced 2015 Big 12-SEC Challenge, which takes place in Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena, site of the 2016 Big 12 Tournament. Texas plays Arkansas in the other game of the doubleheader event on December 20, 2015.
Texas A&M and Oklahoma have squared off 47 times in women's basketball, with Oklahoma leading the series 26-21, but the Aggies have captured seven of the last eight meetings with the Sooners, dating back to 2010. One of the marquee regular season wins in program history came against Oklahoma, as the No. 12 Aggies knocked off the then-No. 2 Sooners 57-56 in Reed Arena during the 2008-09 season. The Sooners reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
West Virginia visits College Station for the 2017 Big 12/SEC Women's Basketball Challenge, on a date that is still to be determined. West Virginia has only played Texas A&M once, a 55-52 Aggie win in 2006-07 during the Loyola Marymount Thanksgiving Classic. The Mountaineers advanced to the finals of the WNIT in 2015.
The Aggies will not play in the 2016 version of the challenge.
The inaugural challenge was held in 2014 in Little Rock, Ark., and featured a top 5 matchup with No. 3 Texas squaring off against No. 4 Texas A&M. Oklahoma and Arkansas, who were both receiving votes in the Associated Press Poll, played in the second game. The conferences split the Challenge with the two games decided by a total of nine points.Â
Â
2016 SEC/Big 12 Women's Basketball Challenge Matchups
Baylor at Tennessee
Mississippi State at Iowa State
Kansas at Alabama
Auburn at Kansas State
Oklahoma at Kentucky
Georgia at Oklahoma State
TCU at Florida
South Carolina at Texas
Texas Tech at Arkansas
Ole Miss at West Virginia
2017 Big 12/SEC Women's Basketball Challenge Matchups
Kentucky at Baylor
Iowa State at Vanderbilt
Arkansas at Kansas
Kansas State at Missouri
Florida at Oklahoma
Oklahoma State at Mississippi State
Alabama at TCU
Texas at Georgia
LSU at Texas Tech
West Virginia at Texas A&M