Bluebloods to Continue Series in Big 12/SEC Challenge

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The top-two winningest programs in men’s college basketball will continue their rivalry as Kentucky will play at Kansas inside historic Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 30, in the Big 12/SEC Challenge presented by Sonic. ESPN, the Big 12 and the SEC announced the pairings Thursday.
 
As previously mentioned when Kansas released it non-conference schedule on May 7, the Jayhawks are one of five Big 12 schools which will play host for the 2015-16 challenge. Additionally, ESPN College GameDay will originate from a to-be-determined site of one of the day’s games.

“The addition of Kentucky to our home schedule makes it one of the more attractive home schedules that we’ve had,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “Even though the game is during conference play, I know with Kentucky coming here the interest level will be very high. Anytime you get the opportunity to have the number one and two winningest programs in college basketball face each other, the attention for that game will be great.”
 
With 2,153 all-time victories, Kansas ranks second behind Kentucky’s 2,178 wins in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history. The upcoming Big 12/SEC Challenge will mark the seventh meeting between the two schools in the Kansas head coach Bill Self era at KU. The series is tied at 3-3 in that span and includes two meetings during the 2011-12 season at the ESPN Champions Classic in New York and the NCAA title game in New Orleans, both UK victories. Kentucky leads the overall series with Kansas, 22-6, yet the Jayhawks have won three-straight KU-UK matchups in Allen Fieldhouse with the last being a 73-46 victory on Jan. 7, 2006. Kentucky has won the last three meetings in the series, most recently on Nov. 18, 2014 when then-No. 1 Kentucky defeated, then-No. 5-Kansas, 72-40, in the ESPN Champions Classic in Indianapolis.
 
This is the third year of the Big 12/SEC Challenge and the Big 12 is 13-7 (.650) in the series, having won the challenge in each of its first two seasons. The Big 12 has posted a 41-27 (.603) record in the last two conference challenge series it has played (vs. Pac-10, SEC) dating back to 2007.
 
The 2015-16 challenge has eight teams ranked in the early ESPN.com early top 25 rankings overall, including five Big 12 teams – No. 1 Kentucky, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 6 Kansas, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 17 Baylor, No. 19 LSU, No. 23 Texas and No. 24 Texas A&M. Three games will pit ranked squads against each other – Kentucky at Kansas, Iowa State at Texas A&M and Oklahoma at LSU.
 
2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge – Saturday, Jan. 30 (times to be announced)
Georgia at Baylor
Kentucky at KANSAS
Mississippi at Kansas State
Tennessee at TCU
Vanderbilt at Texas
Iowa State at Texas A&M
Oklahoma at LSU
Oklahoma State at Auburn
Texas Tech at Arkansas
West Virginia at Florida
 
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