The 10 matchups for the 2022 Big 12/SEC Challenge were announced Wednesday, and Tennessee will be traveling southwest to face the Texas Longhorns on Jan. 29.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes—who is entering his seventh season at the original UT—spent 17 seasons leading the Longhorns program before transitioning to Rocky Top. A member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor, Barnes guided Texas to more than 400 wins, four Big 12 Championships, 16 NCAA Tournament berths and the program’s lone Final Four appearance in the modern era in 2003.
In addition to the Barnes connection, the game also has significance for rising senior Vols guard Victor Bailey Jr. and associate head coach Michael Schwartz. Bailey Jr. grew up in Austin and graduated from McNeil High School, while Schwartz played for Barnes at Texas and later spent four years on Barnes’ staff there.
The Vols and Longhorns have met six times previously on the hardwood, with the series deadlocked at 3-3. The programs collided for four consecutive seasons from 2004-05 to 2007-08, with each team winning twice. Tennessee won the lone meeting in Austin, posting a 95-78 victory in December of 2005.
Tennessee’s all-time record against current members of the Big 12 stands at 15-18. Barnes owns a 161-95 record against current Big 12 teams but has never faced the Longhorns as a head coach.
The SEC won last year’s challenge, 5-4, as one game was canceled due to COVID protocols. Tennessee’s home win over Kansas was the SEC’s clinching triumph. The Big 12 leads the all-time challenge, 4-2-2.
The Vols are 5-2 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, as UT did not take part in the inaugural event.
All challenge games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Start times and network designations will be announced at a later date.
The University of Tennessee was founded as Blount College in 1794, and Tennessee became a state in 1796. The gallant actions of a bevy of brave Tennessee Volunteers that included David Crockett and Sam Houston led to the annexation and eventual statehood of Texas more than 50 years later.
-UT Athletics
