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Texas Tech basketball: Opponents we would like to see in Big 12/SEC Challenge

By Matthew Conner

DES MOINES, IA - MARCH 17: The mascot for the Kentucky Wildcats is seen in the second half as they take on the Stony Brook Seawolves during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 17, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IA - MARCH 17: The mascot for the Kentucky Wildcats is seen in the second half as they take on the Stony Brook Seawolves during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 17, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Tennessee

Another exciting opponent for the Red Raiders would be Tennessee, which has become one of the top programs in the SEC.  Tech has played the Volunteers only once in program history, an 88-71 win way back in 1953.

Making this matchup all the more intriguing would be the return to Lubbock of Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, a long time Red Raider nemesis.  As head coach of the Texas Longhorns from 1998-2015, Barnes racked up an unbelievable record of 36-4 against the Red Raiders.  What’s more, he went 15-3 in Lubbock.

This season, Tennessee finished second in the SEC regular season after winning the league title in 2018. Over the past two years, the Vols have gone 57-15 overall finishing No. 16 in the nation in 2018 and No. 10 this spring.

Thus far in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, the Vols have gone 4-1 with wins over Iowa State (2019), West Virginia (2018) and Kansas St. (2017, 2014) and a loss to TCU (2016).  Keep in mind though that Tennessee could be one of the SEC teams excluded from this event this year.

Because the SEC has four more teams than the Big 12, each year four SEC teams are not involved in the event and Tennessee is one of three SEC teams that have sat out only once.  Three other teams, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Florida have played in every year of the event.

Next year, the Volunteers are going to be rebounding from the loss of several key players including Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield.  But they are still expected to be a top-25 caliber team making a potential trip to Lubbock a high-profile showdown.

Rick Barnes and Chris Beard are two of the hottest names in coaching over the past two years.  Barnes won the Naismith Coach of the Year Award in 2019 and Beard was named 2019 Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.  How great would it be to see these two fantastic coaches match wits next season?

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