Alabama Men’s Basketball to Play Inaugural SEC

The 2013-2014 Alabama men's basketball season is well off in the distance, but the upcoming schedule will feature a special game. The Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 Conference have agreed to play in a Big 12/SEC Challenge that will open with Alabama and Texas Tech in Tuscaloosa on Thursday, November 14th.“The ability to showcase SEC basketball in this kind of conference competition makes this a unique and exciting event for our coaches, student-athletes and fans,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said in a release. “We are pleased to be able to work with the Big 12 and ESPN to highlight the sport of men’s basketball.”

The matchup will mark the second matchup in two seasons that the two teams have met each other. Last season in Lubbock the Crimson Tide pulled off a four point, 66-62 victory over the Red Raiders.

All 10 of the Big 12’s teams and 10 of the SEC’s 14 member institutions will participate in the annual event. Arkansas, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee will not play in the first year. Eight of the 10 games in the 2013 event will be played at home sites (each conference has four home games) and two matchups will be at neutral sites.

The two conferences and ESPN will work to schedule matchups over consecutive days in future events.

2013 SEC/Big 12 Challenge schedule (times and networks are to be determined):

Thursday, November 14

Texas Tech at Alabama

Monday, December 2

Vanderbilt at Texas

Auburn at Iowa State

Thursday, December 5

Ole Miss at Kansas State

West Virginia at Missouri

TCU at Mississippi State

Friday, December 6