Longhorns-Aggies To Play Exhibition Basketball Game To Benefit Harvey Relief

HOUSTON, TX — The rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M will get renewed next week, but for a good cause. The men's basketball teams of both schools have asked the NCAA for a waiver to allow a third preseason exhibition game, with money raised to benefit the Rebuild Texas Relief Fund.

As of Friday afternoon, the schools were still awaiting for the NCAA's approval before making any official announcements, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Should all go according to plan, the teams would meet Wednesday (Oct. 25) at Rice's Tudor Fieldhouse, which seats 5,208. Tipoff would be at 7 p.m. and court-side seats could cost as much as $1,000 apiece.

The NCAA allows for only two preseason events, and both schools have those dates already filled. And per NCAA rules, preseason exhibitions are closed to the public and mediaThis is why they need permission from the NCAA.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office has played a part with both school’s constituencies, multiple sources said in the Statesman report. Tickets could go on sale Sunday afternoon through Ticketmaster, according to sources at both schools.

Proceeds from the exhibition will go toward the Rebuild Texas Relief Fund, which has raised $78 million since inception, according to the organization’s website. Texas A&M departed the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) at the end of the 2012 school year, and the two Texas schools parted ways in all sports up until recently when baseball and softball were added to non-conference schedules. The schools also compete against each other in Olympic sports at the schools.

Similarly, longtime rivals Kansas and Missouri will also play a similar exhibition game on Sunday at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., for Harvey relief efforts. It will be their first “Border War” since 2012, when Missouri also left for the SEC with Texas A&M.

"That was the best time for everything to come together to create a situation where we encountered the fewest amount of expenses," Kansas coach Bill Self said, according to the Associated Press. "And certainly I think it’s a great opportunity for two schools to, you know, do something together for the better of the masses."

The Longhorns and Aggies have played just once in basketball since 2012, with A&M winning, 84-73, in the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. Texas holds a 137-86 lead in the all-time series.

Image: Naji Hibbert (23) of the Texas A&M Aggies goes up for a shot against the Texas Longhorns during their semifinal game in the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 11, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)