More Big 12, Big East games on the way after leagues extend men’s basketball challenge

This upcoming men’s basketball season, the Big 12 and Big East conferences will provide fans with matchups such as Seton Hall at Kansas and Baylor at Marquette as part of their annual crossover challenge.

Don’t expect nonconference games like those to come to an end soon.

Both conferences announced Monday that they have decided to extend their scheduling alliance for two years through 2025. That means teams in each league will have more opportunities to pad their nonconference slates with high-profile games moving forward.

Games in the Big 12-Big East Battle will be played each November and December. In the past, the challenge has consisted of 10 games per season, but that number will increase to 11 starting in 2023 after BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF officially join the Big 12.

As far as conference challenges go, the Big 12-Big East Battle has taken a back seat to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the Big 12/SEC Challenge. But coaches like the crossover event, because it’s an easy way to schedule good games.

The Big East leads the Big 12 in the challenge standings 16-10 since the competition began in 2019, but the yearly challenge results ended in a tie in each of the past two seasons. In 2020, only six games were played because of COVID-19 cancellations.

The matchups will continue to be jointly determined by the two conferences, with the home team choosing the venue of its game. Broadcast arrangements for the contests will be determined by the national television rights holder of the home team, which is ESPN for the Big 12 and Fox Sports for the Big East.

2022 Big 12-Big East Battle Schedule

Nov. 29 Baylor at Marquette

Nov. 30 Providence at TCU

Nov. 30 Georgetown at Texas Tech

Nov. 30 Kansas State at Butler

Dec. 1 Creighton at Texas

Dec. 1 Oklahoma State at Connecticut

Dec. 1 Seton Hall at Kansas

Dec. 3 Oklahoma at Villanova

Dec. 3 West Virginia at Xavier

Dec. 4 St. John’s at Iowa State