Big East/SEC Challenge: Louisville vs. Vandy

Today, the match-ups were announced for the first official Big East vs. SEC Challenge series and the Cards are involved. We’ve seen several contests over the past few years between these two conferences in an ‘invitational’ format, but those generally involved mediocre teams on semi-neutral courts. This time, it will be a three day event featuring twelve games in legitimate home/road venues.

On Friday, December 2, Louisville will welcome in Kevin Stallings’ Vanderbilt Commodores to the Yum! Center in a contest featuring what figures to be two highly ranked teams. Vandy returns veterans Jeffry Taylor, John Jenkins, and Festus Ezeli and is projected to be around the top 10 when the season begins. The Cards, also projected in the top 10, return most of their team from last year, as well as McDonald’s All-Americans Wayne Blackshear and Chane Behanan.

With this news, it adds another great opponent to the Louisville schedule. We already know the Cards will open the season at Butler, will travel to Rupp to face Kentucky, and word is they will return Memphis to the schedule as well. Add the typically tough Big East schedule and Louisville will have their hands full this year. UofL’s full official slate should be released soon and we’ll provide that when available.

Here are the complete Big East/SEC Challenge match-ups:

Thursday, Dec. 1
St. John’s at Kentucky
Georgetown at Alabama
Providence at South Carolina
Mississippi at DePaul

Friday, Dec. 2
Vanderbilt at Louisville
Florida at Syracuse
Cincinnati at Georgia
Auburn at Seton Hall

Saturday, Dec. 3
Arkansas at Connecticut
Pittsburgh at Tennessee
West Virginia at Mississippi State
LSU at Rutgers