Two of this season's national championship favorites in women's basketball, Baylor and Oregon, will meet next season in the inaugural Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge.
The Lady Bears and Ducks will play in Las Vegas on Dec. 19, part of a four-game slate that also features three men's games pitting teams from the Pac-12 against teams from the Big 12. The men's pairings are still to be determined, with Colorado, Oregon and Washington scheduled to represent the Pac-12 and Oklahoma, TCU and a team to be determined to represent the Big 12.
Baylor and Oregon last met in the 2019 Women's Final Four, the Lady Bears eliminating the Ducks 72-67 in Tampa. Baylor is unbeaten in four all-time meetings between the schools.
The two teams could also meet this season, most likely in the Final Four, with both currently projected as locks for No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
The game in Las Vegas next season will be an early opportunity for both programs to test new looks. Baylor will lose All-American Lauren Cox after this season, along with starting guards Te'a Cooper and Juicy Landrum. Oregon will lose reigning national player of the year Sabrina Ionescu after this season, as well as forwards Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally and guard Minyon Moore. Those four represent more than 60 percent of Oregon's points this season.
Baylor and Oregon also add six of the nation's top 24 recruits, according to ESPN Hoopgurlz. Baylor has the two highest-ranked recruits, No. 7 Sarah Andrews and No. 9 Hannah Gusters, while Oregon adds No. 10 Sydney Parrish, No. 15 Kylee Watson, No. 19 Maddie Scherr and No. 24 Angela Dugalic. Oregon's top-ranked class also includes No. 33 Te-Hina Paopao.