🏀 SEC/Big 12 Challenge: Bama travels to Waco Texas to face Baylor, Saturday at Noon ET (ESPNU)

[UA Press Release]

The Crimson Tide is 2-0 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, including a win over then-No. 12 Oklahoma in Tuscaloosa last season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team will travel to Waco, Texas, where it will face the Baylor Bears as a part of the 2019 SEC/Big 12 Challenge, the Southeastern Conference announced Thursday.

The Crimson Tide will be playing its third game as a part of the series between the conferences where it sports a perfect 2-0 record in the event. Last season, Alabama captured an 80-73 victory over then-No. 12 Oklahoma in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide's only other contest in the Challenge came on Nov. 14, 2013, when Alabama defeated Texas Tech, 76-64, in Tuscaloosa. The 2019 game will mark the first time the Tide has played on the road as a part of the Challenge.

Alabama and Baylor will meet on the hardwood for the eighth time in series history when the teams square off in late January and the first time the schools will play in Waco. Six of the previous eight contests in the series have been played at a neutral site including the last meeting, which came on Nov. 26, 2009. The Tide defeated the Bears, 79-76, in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

All 10 of the Big 12's teams and 10 of the SEC's 14 member institutions will participate in this year's event. Each of the 10 SEC teams that participated in the 2018 Challenge are a part of the 2019 event. The SEC is coming off a 6-4 win in the Big 12/SEC Challenge after a 5-5 tie in 2017.

This will be the fourth year that a bye in the league schedule for participating teams was created to accommodate the single-day format. The four SEC teams not participating will play each other in conference games the same day.

Four of the 10 games will be televised on ESPN, four on ESPN2 and two games will air on ESPNU. All 10 games will also be available on the ESPN app. ESPN's College GameDay – the Saturday roadshow that discusses the top storylines of the college basketball season – will originate from one of the Challenge games.

Start times and network designations will be announced at a later date.

2019 SEC/Big 12 Challenge (January 26, 2019):
Alabama at Baylor
Arkansas at Texas Tech
Florida at TCU
Texas at Georgia
Kansas at Kentucky
Iowa State at Ole Miss
South Carolina at Oklahoma State
West Virginia at Tennessee
Kansas State at Texas A&M
Vanderbilt at Oklahoma


Alabama vs. Baylor (M Basketball)

https://rolltide.com/showcase

StatMonitr Stat Feed

 

[Max]

Common opponents:

Southern, lost to Bama 82-62, lost to Baylor 80-53
Ole Miss, Beat Baylor 78-70, lost to Bama 74-53
Wichita State beat Baylor 71-63, lost to Bama 90-86
Arizona lost to Baylor 58-49, lost to Bama 76-73
Stephen F Austin beat Baylor 59-58, lost to Bama 79-69

 

[rick4bama]

So Bama looking good to win?

 

[TerryP]

So Bama looking good to win?

Baylor was favored by the books (I think it was -3.5.)

I've only managed to glance at the game a few times...Baylor by two in the first few minutes of the second half.

Bama has scored almost 90% of their points from inside the paint up to this point.

 

[bama alum]

7:30 or so left. Tied at 54. Bama should be winning comfortably but is not winning the glass.

 

[#80]

It's going to be a long day for the SEC in this Big 12 Challenge.

 

[bamanc50]

Out coached and out played the last 3 minutes of the game.

 

[EasyTider]

Out coached and out played the last 3 minutes of the game.

Familiar story

 

[#80]

Out coached and out played the last 3 minutes of the game.

Please explain how we were out coached. We turned the ball over they made shots we did not.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Whether we are ahead, even, or behind against a power 5, or directional school, let it be known, though I think it is already painfully apparent, we can't finish.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

How was shooting from charity stripe?

 

[#80]

How was shooting from charity stripe?

5-7 so 71.4%

 

[mando]

This is why you cannot ever feel comfortable that bama will make NCAA tournament play no matter what the experts say at any snapshot of time.

Admittedly I was not fully focused on the game so not sure what the problem was but at the end of the day they do not consistently play at a high level. This has resulted in the team hovering around .500 ball since the beginning of SEC play. They should be well above .500 if the could close out UT and A&M but they seem to find ways to flip flop between win one lose one.

 

[#80]

So far Big 12 is 4-2 with four games to go.

 

[#80]

Big 12 takes it 6-4.

 

[TerryP]

There was an play set(s) in that game where Baylor had two offensive boards back to back before scoring. It was an odd sequence with Bama being in good position, but the way the damn ball bounced each time was ... well, basketball. As with any game we've seen, a few fouls led to changes on the scoreboard--floor fouls giving bonus hurts. That's basketball. Now, the banked baseline shot? That's circus--but basketball.

It's a road loss but I see a team that proved their just as good as the team they lost against--couple of breaks/bounces and the Tide steals a road win.

They are struggling in some of their closer games as well as have won a couple. I'm not taking too much from a road loss at UT, or UCF, or Baylor.

The "predicted record" before this game had the Tide finishing at 17-14. Here's their results.

L - @Baylor
W - vs. Miss State
L - @Auburn
W - vs. Georgia
L - @Vandy
L - @Miss State
W - vs. Florida
W - @TAMU
W - vs. Vandy
L - @USC
L - vs. LSU
L - vs. Auburn
L - @ARK

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

Bama BB is very frustrating. Every year we're a bubble team that doesn't seem to get better as the games progress. Is it coaching or players or both. I am not a big believer in the "new building will fix our problems" group. We'll see.

 

[mando]

Bama BB is very frustrating. Every year we're a bubble team that doesn't seem to get better as the games progress. Is it coaching or players or both. I am not a big believer in the "new building will fix our problems" group. We'll see.

I think in large part it is players with some coaching thrown in. Pretty sure it is easier to win with players like Latrell Sprewell (sp?) and Robert Horry... Some of those games between Arkansas and Bama under Sanderson were classic and a lot of players on both teams went on to the NBA. Makes a difference for sure.

 

[TUSKtimes]

I assume this SEC vs big 12 stuff is to determine who has the better basketball conference. The SEC has to drop 4 teams off the schedule each year and 3 of the teams this year from the SEC who were left out were in the top 25. Kinda stupid to have to automatically rotate some of our better teams out of the matchup and say they were better.

 

[footballer]

Bama BB is very frustrating. Every year we're a bubble team that doesn't seem to get better as the games progress. Is it coaching or players or both. I am not a big believer in the "new building will fix our problems" group. We'll see.

I think in large part it is players with some coaching thrown in. Pretty sure it is easier to win with players like Latrell Sprewell (sp?) and Robert Horry... Some of those games between Arkansas and Bama under Sanderson were classic and a lot of players on both teams went on to the NBA. Makes a difference for sure.

CWS was a great college coach with many years experience as an assistant, then HC. CAJ? fourth year college HC. Sprewell was a two year? transfer I believe. Horry was a four year player who CWS said was the smartest player he ever coached. CWS coached in a different era, but would only play six maybe up to eight players, depending on foul situations, injury or blowout games. CWS recruited good high school players and worked their ass off in practice and turned them into a team of coherent college players.