Bluest of blue bloods highlight this season’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge
This coming season’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge will feature a game between the two winningest programs in college basketball history.
Surely Kentucky fans do not need reminding that Kansas surpassed UK in all-time victories last season. En route to the 2022 NCAA Tournament championship, the Jayhawks increased their victory total to 2,357. Kentucky, which lost to Saint Peter’s in a first-round game, has 2,353 victories.
The only other program with 2,300 or more all-time victories is North Carolina at 2,323.
Kentucky will play host to Kansas on Jan. 28, it was announced Thursday.
Other games in the next SEC/Big 12 Challenge are Alabama at Oklahoma, Arkansas at Baylor, Texas at Tennessee, Texas Tech at LSU, Auburn at West Virginia, Ole Miss at Oklahoma State, Florida at Kansas State, TCU at Mississippi State and Iowa State at Missouri.
Kentucky has a 5-3 record in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Kansas has a 5-4 record in the event.
Next season’s game will be the fifth time Kentucky has played Kansas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The programs each won two of the previous four games.
Kansas has beaten Kentucky in four of the last six meetings. In Bill Self’s time as Kansas coach, the Jayhawks have won seven of 12 games against UK.
Kentucky and Kansas have staged memorable basketball competitions that measure up to their blue-blood status.
Those include last season’s game in Lawrence, Kan. With Keion Brooks scoring a career-high 27 points, Kentucky won 80-62. That marked the Jayhawks’ most lopsided home loss since an 84-59 defeat against Texas on Jan. 2, 2021.
Kentucky beat Kansas in historic fashion in the Champions Classic in the 2014-15 season. UK’s 72-40 victory in Indianapolis was the most lopsided regular-season loss in Self’s 29 years as a college head coach.
Kansas caused searches in the record books when it defeated Kentucky 150-95 on Dec. 9, 1989. That was the fifth game of Rick Pitino’s time as coach and is believed to be the second-most lopsided loss ever for Kentucky. Central beat UK 87-17 on Jan. 28, 1910.
Next season will mark the 10th SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Big 12 teams have a 48-40 record in the event.
Both Kentucky and Kansas released information about tickets.
Kentucky said its season-ticket renewals will begin in July. All current season-ticket holders will receive information by email when the renewal period begins. UK encouraged fans interested in buying season tickets for the first time to sign up now at https://ukathleticstix.com.
Kansas said purchases for its season tickets began Thursday at www.kuathletics.com. Ticket costs begin at $500. To order season tickets, fans must be active members of the Williams Education Fund. Information is available at (785) 864-3141.
