From K-State Athletics
The matchups for the fourth edition of the 10-team Big 12/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge have been announced by the respective league offices and Kansas State will travel to Arkansas on Saturday, December 7.
“This is a great matchup for both programs,” said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie about the game. “The Big 12 and SEC are two of the best leagues in the country. This should be an outstanding game.”
In 2019, the Big 12/SEC Challenge games will begin on Wednesday, December 4 and conclude on Sunday, December 8. Exact times and television designations will be released when available.
The inaugural challenge was held in 2014. The 10-team format began in 2016. For the past two seasons, the two conferences split the challenge with a 5-5 mark. Kansas State won its meeting with Vanderbilt in the 2018 SEC/Big 12 Challenge, December 2, 72-61, in Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State will put its active five-game road winning streak on the line, as the Wildcats visit Fayetteville for the first time since December 2, 2009, which was a 60-58 Arkansas win. K-State leads the all-time series with the Razorbacks, 3-2.
Arkansas capped the 2018-19 season with a 22-15 overall record and a 6-10 record in the SEC. The Razorbacks reached the round of 16 in the 2019 WNIT.
Kansas State concluded the 2018-19 season with a 21-12 overall record and an appearance in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. This was the fifth straight season the Wildcats reached the postseason under the direction of Mittie.
K-State will return nine letter winners from the 2018-19 season for the 2019-20 season, led by the trio of senior Peyton Williams, junior Rachel Ranke and sophomore Christianna Carr. The Wildcats will also welcome in redshirt freshman Ayoka Lee and freshmen Emma Chapman, Emilee Ebert and Jada Thorpe.
The 2019 Big 12/SEC Challenge adds to K-State’s previously announced trip to the 2019 Junkanoo Jam, as the Wildcats will face Memphis on November 29 and either Michigan State or LSU on November 30, in Bimini, Bahamas.
The remainder of Kansas State’s 2019-20 non-conference schedule, the Big 12 schedule and the promotional calendar will be announced later this summer.