NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 2021 Big 12/SEC Challenge matchups
4. Auburn at Baylor
It’ll be a reunion of sorts for Davion Mitchell, who started his career out at Auburn before transferring to Waco. He, along with guards MaCio Teague and Jared Butler forms one of the top backcourts in all of the country for this season. Add senior bigs Tristan Clark and Mark Vital, and there’s a legit chance that Baylor will be dubbed the No. 1 preseason team for 2020-21.
That alone makes this a good game to watch. The Tigers do have a five-star point guard in Sharife Cooper that’ll be fun to watch but unless he drops 30, the young SEC team most likely won’t be able to pull off the major road upset. If they did, that would be a defining victory that could carry Auburn to the NCAA Tournament.
Prediction: Baylor
3. Texas Tech at LSU
These teams have plenty of similarities in their rosters. That includes each having an incoming five-star freshman guard, talented returning players, and a bevy of transfers from this offseason, The most important of them all is Mac McClung, who could give Texas Tech a new look on its offense. They also beefed up its frontcourt with Marcus Santos-Silva and Joel Ntambwe.
Right now though, LSU has a more sure bet, thanks to the return of Javonte Smart and forward Trendon Watford. This will be a battle of strengths, with the Tigers having a dynamic offense, while the Red Raiders under Coach Chris Beard being more known for defense. With the game in Baton Rouge, however, look for the Tigers to squeak one out.