Big 12/SEC Challenge 2013: Teams, Schedule, Live Stream, Bracket, TV Info

The Big 12/SEC Challenge is looking to be an exciting series of contests in 2013, as plenty of solid matchups will be sprinkled throughout the next two months.

Kentucky, the No. 1 team in the country and the preseason pick of many to win the national title, headlines a field that also includes No. 23 Baylor—with whom the Wildcats will match up—No. 8 Oklahoma State, No. 5 Kansas and No. 11 Florida.

While some of the other teams involved may not be as prominent as these five powerhouses, the results should still provide fans of either the SEC or Big 12 with bragging rights for the remainder of the campaign.

Let’s take a look at the complete schedule of events, highlight where you can watch each of these interconference showdowns and pick some winners for the marquee games.

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Thu, Nov. 14	9 p.m.	Texas Tech at Alabama	ESPN2
Mon, Dec. 2	7 p.m.	Auburn at Iowa State	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	Vanderbilt at Texas	ESPN2
Thu, Dec. 5	7 p.m.	West Virginia at Missouri	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	TCU at Mississippi State	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	Ole Miss at Kansas State	ESPN2
Fri, Dec. 6	9:30 p.m.	South Carolina at No. 8 Oklahoma State	ESPNU
	10 p.m.	No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 23 Baylor (Arlington)	ESPN
Tue, Dec. 10	7 p.m.	No. 5 Kansas at No. 11 Florida	ESPN
Sat, Dec.21	7 p.m.	Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M (Houston)	ESPNU

Live Streaming for All Events: WatchESPN.

Top Contest to Watch: Kentucky vs. Baylor

The Wildcats likely will not face a ranked opponent between now and this Dec. 6 matchup with the Bears, meaning head coach John Calipari will have this one circled on his schedule.

His team has a relatively easy schedule in 2013-14, as UNC, Louisville and Florida are the only ranked teams remaining outside of Baylor. Winning each of these meetings will be extremely helpful in securing the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament this coming spring.

The Bears are definitely going to make things tough, as they can shoot the lights out from three-point land and feature a handful of elite players.

7’1” Isaiah Austin decided to skip the NBA draft and return for a sophomore campaign, which should be even better than his first foray into college basketball. The big man has one of the most unique skill sets in the game, as he has the size of a center but the handle and jump shot of a guard.

Speaking of shooters, senior Brady Heslip should rank as one of the nation’s top marksmen and can eviscerate opponents from beyond the arc. That will be key against UK, as it is simply a team of superstars.

Top prospect Julius Randle leads a deep roster that also includes the Harrison twins—Aaron and Andrew—in the backcourt, as well as a fearsome tandem of bigs in Dakari Johnson and Willie Cauley-Stein.

There is loaded talent at every single position and across the bench for the Wildcats, which means they will be tough to stop on their romp to a potential national championship.

Expect this game to start out close, but the speed, athleticism and raw skill of Kentucky will eventually win out, and the Wildcats will pull away.

Prediction: Kentucky 87 – Baylor 75

Challenge Winner: Big 12

While Kentucky might win its matchup during the challenge, the overall winner in this event will be the Big 12.

The conference features better, more consistent teams and should be able to edge out the SEC in a majority of these showdowns.

There will be many close ones—including a predicted nail-biter between Florida and Kansas—but ultimately the talent of the Big 12 will prevail.

Check out the table below for my predictions for the victor of each game and the final standings for the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Matchup	Predicted Winner	Big 12 Total	SEC Total
Texas Tech at Alabama	Crimson Tide	0	1
Auburn at Iowa State	Tigers	0	2
Vanderbilt at Texas	Longhorns	1	2
West Virginia at Missouri	Mountaineers	2	2
TCU at Mississippi State	Bulldogs	2	3
Ole Miss at Kansas State	Wildcats	3	3
South Carolina at No. 8 Oklahoma State	Cowboys	4	3
No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 23 Baylor (Arlington)	Wildcats	4	4
No. 5 Kansas at No. 11 Florida	Jayhawks	5	4
Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M (Houston)	Sooners	6	4

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