BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern and Big 12 Conferences have announced the games that will be part of their women’s basketball challenge in 2018, and the Tennessee Lady Vols will be facing off against Oklahoma State.
The third all-time meeting between the Big Orange and Cowgirls is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 2, at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. No time has been set.
The Lady Vols own a 2-0 series record after defeating OSU last season on Nov. 24 at the 2017 Cancun Challenge in Puerto, Aventuras, Mexico, 79-69, en route to the Riviera Division championship. This will mark the first home-court game for either team, as the only other meeting (a 69-60 UT win) occurred on Dec. 4, 1992, at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Hawaii.
Tennessee returns three starters and seven total letterwinners from a team that finished with a 25-8 overall record and 11-5 SEC mark (t4th) en route to final rankings of 12th by AP and 17th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. UT welcomes back starters and SEC All-Freshman honorees in 6-2 sophomore forward Rennia Davis (12.0 ppg., 7.6 rpg.) and 6-0 sophomore point guard Evina Westbrook (8.4 ppg., 2.4 rpg., 4.3 apg.) as well as 5-11 senior forward Meme Jackson (8.2 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 2.2 apg.).
Other key contributors returning from a year ago include the SEC 6th Woman of the Year in 5-7 guard Anastasia Hayes (9.3 ppg., 2.5 rpg., 3.5 apg.) as well as 6-3 senior forward and two-time JUCO All-American Cheridene Green (4.1 ppg., 3.7 rpg.). Seventh-year head coach Holly Warlick also welcomes a four-player freshman group that was ranked as the No. 4 signing class in the nation as well as graduate transfer, Lou Brown, a 6-3 forward who averaged 6.4 ppg. and 6.0 rpg. while hitting 28 three-pointers at Washington State last season.
The Cowgirls, meanwhile, finished the 2017-18 season receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll (t27th) and AP Poll (32nd), posting a 21-11 overall record and 11-7 Big 12 mark, good for third place. Head coach Jim Littell’s squad returns two starters and seven total letterwinners, including 5-10 sophomore guard Braxtin Miller (11.7 ppg., 3.4 rpg., 2.2 apg.) and 5-8 sophomore guard Jaden Hobbs (4.6 ppg., 1.2 apg.). Among OSU’s signees is a HoopGurlz/espnW Top-100 player in 6-3 forward Kassidy DeLapp.
Ten teams from the SEC will participate in the challenge this season, while every team from the Big 12 takes 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.
In 2018, games have been scheduled for the dates of Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. Exact times and television designations will be released when available. Dates and match-ups for 2019 will be announced at a later date.
The inaugural challenge was held in 2014 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and featured a top-five showdown with No. 3 Texas squaring off against No. 4 Texas A&M. Oklahoma and Arkansas, who were both receiving votes, played in the second game. The conferences split the Challenge with the two games decided by a total of nine points. The 2015 version was contested in Oklahoma City with the opponents reversed, as No. 5 Texas played Arkansas while No. 17 Oklahoma competed against No. 18 Texas A&M. Each league again claimed a win.
In 2016, the SEC edged the Big 12, 6-4, in the first 10-game slate, while in 2017 the conferences split 5-5.
2018 SEC/Big 12 Women’s Basketball Challenge Matchups
Thursday, November 29
Kansas at LSU
TCU at Ole Miss
Sunday, December 2
Baylor at South Carolina
Arkansas at Iowa State
Vanderbilt at K-State
Oklahoma at Auburn
Tennessee at Oklahoma State
Mississippi State at Texas
Texas Tech at Florida
Missouri at West Virginia
UT Athletics
