The people with the power to decide such things always want to see the Texas Longhorns play the Tennessee Volunteers and former Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes.
The SEC and the Big 12 wanted to make the matchup happen for years in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, but Barnes refused for years until the Erwin Center was set to close, the building in which Barnes coached for 17 years.
Since that 2022 matchup, a 52-51 victory for the Horns, Texas faced Barnes and Tennessee in Knoxville on a return trip two years ago, and in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, a storyline that the selection committee just couldn’t resist.