The Big Ten and Big 12 women’s basketball conferences announced on Wednesday the creation of an annual inter-conference challenge set to begin in the fall of 2010.

The series will feature a home-and-home format spanning at least two years.

During the initial two-year union, Iowa will host Kansas State in Carver-Hawkeye Arena the first year, then travel to Manhattan, Kan., the next.

“The Big Ten is excited to participate in this annual challenge with the Big 12 conference,” Big Ten Associate Commissioner Andrea Williams said in a statement. “The creation of this new series will provide an opportunity for teams from each league to begin an annual challenge to showcase competitive matchups that our fans from across the country will enjoy.”

The Big Ten will host seven home games during the 2010 season in what will be dubbed the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge.

In 2011, the Big 12 will have seven home games, and the series will be referred to as the Big 12/Big Ten challenge.

— by Evelyn Lau