Matchups for the Big East-Big 12 Battle Announced

The Big 12-Big East Battle is scheduled for the upcoming college basketball season for the fourth straight year. The Big East won the battle in 2019 and both conferences tied in 2020 and 2021. This upcoming season is the last year in the set contract and it’s unknown if it will be renewed.

The games will be played for six days starting on November 29th and ending on December 4th. With the Big East having 11 teams, one is forced to sit out of the battle. For the 2022-23 season, DePaul will be the one not participating (which I think everyone is fine with).

Baylor at Marquette (November 29th)

Marquette had a surprising season under first-year Head Coach Shaka Smart. They made the tournament before losing to North Carolina in the first round. Smart did lose some key players from last year’s team and having to face Baylor won’t make things any easier. Baylor’s new pieces Keyonte George and Jalen Bridges will sure help in this upcoming game. George is a 5-star recruit and Bridges is a transfer from West Virginia. They will look to fill the role of Matthew Mayer who entered the transfer portal.

Providence at TCU (November 30th)

Both Providence and TCU soared past expectations last year. In this upcoming season, TCU is listed inside the top 15 preseason rankings with Providence making the top 25. Ed Cooley and Jamie Dixon have both been great coaches the past couple of seasons and this game will be a great watch for basketball fans.

Georgetown at Texas Tech

Mark Adams did an amazing job with the Red Raiders in his first year. He led them to their third Sweet 16 appearance in five years. Georgetown has struggled to keep players from entering the portal and has struggled to compete in the Big East. Having to travel to Lubbock, Texas, isn’t exactly what they had in mind either.

Kansas State at Butler (November 30th)

Kansas State will go into this game with a brand-new head coach. Jerome Tang, who was an assistant with Baylor will look to rebuild this Wildcats roster. On the other side, Thad Matta is back! After leaving Ohio State in 2016 due to health reasons, Matta was named the new head coach this offseason for Butler. Eric Hunter (Purdue), Ali Ali (Akron) and Manny Bates (NC State) are all new faces Matta has brought from the portal to build up his roster. The battle of new head coaches will take place in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Creighton at Texas (December 1st)

The Longhorns will bring back talent from last year’s team in hope of defeating the Bluejays. Creighton is currently ranked in the preseason top 10 and will be considered the favorite to win the Big East for the upcoming season. Along with keeping most of last year’s team in tack, they added Francisco Farabello and Baylor Scheierman. Farabello was one of the best available shooters on the market and Scheierman was considered one of the best available transfers. Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr and Christian Bishop are all back for Texas. Bishop will have his chance for what the kids call these days “a revenge game” after transferring from Creighton last year.

Seton Hall at Kansas (December 1st)

The defending champs will have homecourt against the Seton Hall Pirates and their new Head Coach Shaheen Holloway. In March Madness, Holloway led St. Peters to an amazing Elite Eight run beating Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue on the way. He now gets to coach where he played, in hopes of getting Seton Hall to the top of the Big East. Kansas won’t be an easy target, especially coming off a National Championship along with bringing in a top recruiting class.

Oklahoma State at UConn (December 1st)

Adama Sanogo, who is thought to be the Preseason Player of the Year in the Big East will certainly have lots of eyes on him during this game. Sanogo is a monster in the post and a freak rebounder. It is known that the Big 12 is physical, but Sanogo will have no problem with that. On the other side of the ball, keep your eyes on Quion Williams. With Oklahoma State not having a ton of scoring options, the 2022 4-star recruit should have plenty of chances to put his name on this game.

Oklahoma at Villanova (December 3rd)

These teams will meet for the first time since the 2016 Final Four, where Villanova slapped Oklahoma in the face. The Grove brothers, Tanner and Jacob will be the main attraction on their team. The Brothers hope to make the tournament after just missing out last year. Kyle Neptune and Nova’s top 15 recruiting class won’t even be the top story with their team for most of the season. That story would belong to Jay Wright and his surprise retirement. Will Villanova be the same Villanova without Jay Wright?

West Virginia at Xavier (December 4th)

For the first time in almost two decades, Bob Huggins will coach a game at Xavier. After finishing dead last in the Big 12 this past season, Huggins surely will have some motivation for his new team. Sean Miller was named the new head coach for Xavier this offseason. He will lead a team that just won the NIT after failing to make the NCAA Tournament. Miller’s top two players for next year include Zach Freemantle and Jack Nunge.

St. John’s at Iowa State (December 4th)

The game between the Red Storm and the Cyclones will be played on the last day of the battle. Iowa State could very well be playing for the chance to clinch the battle for the Big 12. The Cyclones are coming off a surprising season, to say the least. They finished 22-13 on the year and reached the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in program history. After a great first season, it will be interesting to see what second-year Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger has planned for the upcoming season. The Cyclones did lose key contributors to last year’s team in Izaiah Brockington, Tyrese Hunter and Geroge Conditt. However, that did not stop Otzelberger from attacking the transfer portal and recruiting four new players. Jeremiah Williams (Temple), Hason Ward (VCU), Jaren Holmes (St. Bonaventure) and Osun Osunniyi (St. Bonaventure). There have also been rumors about Northern Iowa transfer A.J. Green joining the team. With multiple new pieces, it’s hard not to be excited for this new group of Cyclones.

St. John’s on the other hand finished a disappointing year with a 17-15 record after having hopes to make the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm did add Andre Curbelo, an Illinois transfer to the team to add to an already deep backcourt. Posh Alexander, Curbelo and Aaron Wheeler are the top players for St. John’s. Julian Champagnie, who was the best player for the Red Storm last year entered the draft. Champagnie could still leave the draft and if he did that would make St. John’s a tournament team. St. John’s was in the top 10 last year in pace, while averaging 80 points a game. Iowa State allowed opponents to average 62 points a game, along with forcing 15 turnovers. The Red Storm will try to make this game a track meet, but will the defensive-minded Cyclones let them?