COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia will host Kentucky next season as the marquee matchup in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and a night sure to command the fire marshal’s full attention.
Ticket demand will be fierce on Saturday, Jan. 27. Capacity could be merely a suggestion as the Wildcats play in Morgantown for only the third time. (If you can accurately cite the previous two, odds are good there’s a media guide in your bathroom.)
It’s probably no coincidence the SEC and Big 12 finalized these pairings only after the deadline for NBA draft had passed. That timing allowed organizers to better project roster strengths by certifying the return of standouts such as West Virginia’s Jevon Carter, Texas guard Andrew Jones and Kansas State’s Kamau Stokes.
Kentucky is perpetually reloading amid NBA turnover, of course, but received a major boost only minutes before Wednesday night’s deadline, when five-star recruit Hamidou Diallo announced he would remain in school. Last season’s midyear enrollee, the 6-foot-5 Diallo will fit right in among the nation’s No. 1-ranked batch of newcomers.
West Virginia should contend for the Big 12 championship and a top-20 ranking, bolstered by the return of its two leading scorers and seven players who contributed to the rotation. After two Sweet 16 berths in the past three years, it seems the Mountaineers are building esteem.
During the previous four years of the Challenge, only once has West Virginia faced an SEC opponent that ultimately reached the NCAA tournament. That occurred during 2014-15, when LSU won 74-73 in Morgantown.
The Kentucky game becomes the centerpiece of the most unique nonconference schedule of Bob Huggins’ 11-year tenure. Consider: The Mountaineers open the season in Germany against Texas A&M at Ramstein Air Base on Nov. 10. Back on this side of the Atlantic, they host Virginia on Dec. 5 before rekindling the Backyard Brawl at Pitt on Dec. 9.
There’s also a Thanksgiving tourney in Orlando with three games against a decent field.
Now, let’s check your memory on those previous two visits from Big Blue:
— The first came in 1941 at Mountaineer Field House, where West Virginia won 56-43.
— The other occurred in December 1970, the third game ever staged at the WVU Coliseum, with Kentucky prevailing 106-100.
This upcoming game will loom so huge, spinoff attractions are bound to surface. For instance, Huggins’ annual fish fry tends to settle around that time each year. If bringing in Brad Underwood as a special guest was a hit last season, imagine the hush puppies they’ll sell with Calipari attending.
Full SEC/Big 12 Challenge pairings:
Oklahoma at Alabama
Georgia at Kansas State
Baylor at Florida
Texas Tech at South Carolina
TCU at Vanderbilt
Oklahoma State at Arkansas
Kentucky at West Virginia
Ole Miss at Texas
Tennessee at Iowa State
Texas A&M at Kansas