Georgia Basketball: Dawgs and Horns to meet in SEC/Big 12 Challenge

Georgia and Texas will face off as part of the 2019 SEC/Big 12 Challenge on January 26th in what is sure to be an exciting non-conference match-up.

The Georgia basketball team will have an opportunity to play in a marquee non-conference game against Texas this upcoming season. It was announced earlier this week that the Bulldogs will face the Longhorns as part of the 2019 SEC/Big 12 Challenge on January 26. Georgia and Texas played two years ago in Athens as part of the Challenge. The Dawgs came out on top 59-57.

This game will not only give the Dawgs an opportunity to play on prime time television. But it will also give fans a good look at how the team stacks up against elite non-conference competition during Tom Crean’s first season in Athens.

It’s clear that Crean wants to put Georgia basketball on a national stage as much as possible. Georgia travels to Hawaii next November for the 2019 Maui Invitational. The marquee preseason tournament includes college basketball powerhouses Kansas, UCLA, and Michigan State.

The 2018-2019 season will certainly be a challenge for the new head coach in Athens. Georgia will needs to replace Yante Maten who leaves as one of the best players in program history.

Despite the uphill battle the program may face this season, there are many things fans should look forward to. Rising sophomores Nicolas Claxton and Rayshaun Hammonds both look poised to have breakout seasons. Rising juniors Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris inherit a more significant role on the team.

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Playing Texas in the 2019 SEC/Big 12 Challenge will give the Dawgs a nice one-game break during SEC conference play that will begin earlier that month. It will be interesting to see how this team stacks up against a formidable non-conference foe like Texas.