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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 Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Auburn

If not for a critical missed call in the Final Four, Auburn would have been Texas Tech’s opponent in the National Title Game in Minneapolis.  So why not just play that game in January in Lubbock?

Auburn’s run to the 2019 Final Four was just as improbable as Tech’s and now both teams are trying to remain relevant on a national scale.  A meeting in the Big 12/SEC Challenge would help one of these programs take a significant step towards that goal.

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The Tigers will likely enter the season in the top-25 despite some heavy losses this year.  In fact, our friend Dakota Cox at Busting Brackets has Auburn at No. 2 in his SEC power rankings for next year but that was prior to Florida landing Blackshear.

The Tigers will have to replace leading scorer Bryce Brown while third-leading scorer Chuma Okeke will be recovering from a torn knee ligament suffered in the Elite 8.  Still, there remains plenty of talent on the roster and they have added a top-20 recruiting class for 2019 to help them make another run at the Final Four.

It would also be fun to see such a huge personality as Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl come to Lubbock.  Given the hell the Texas Tech student body has given coaches such as Texas’ Shaka Smart, Kansas’ Bill Self and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins, there’s reason to believe the Raider Riot would have quite a bit in store for Pearl, one of the more colorful and controversial figures in the sport.

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All-time, Auburn is just 1-3 in this event.  Their only win came in 2017 over TCU.  Meanwhile, they have losses to Tech (2014), Iowa State (2013) and Oklahoma State (2016).  Should they come to Lubbock this January, we would get to see the two teams that should have played for it all in Minneapolis square off and that would be a game worth watching.

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