Jeff Borzello
The matchups for the third annual ACC/SEC Challenge were announced Wednesday, highlighted on the men’s side by Duke hosting reigning national champions Florida and multiple potential top-10 matchups on the women’s side.
The two leagues split the first series on both the men’s and women’s side, while the SEC swept both last year. The SEC clinched the men’s title after winning the first nine games of the 2024 Challenge.
The men’s Challenge will take place on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, with Florida’s trip to Duke and a blueblood matchup between North Carolina and Kentucky highlighting the first night. The headliner on Dec. 3 is a potential top-10 matchup between Louisville and Arkansas, while NC State and new head coach Will Wade travel to Auburn that night as well.
Florida (No. 2), Louisville (No. 7), Kentucky (No. 9), Arkansas (No. 11), Duke (No. 12), Auburn (No. 14), NC State (No. 24) and North Carolina (No. 25) are all included in ESPN’s most recent Top 25 rankings.
Other noteworthy matchups include a battle of first-year head coaches when Ryan Odom and Virginia travel to face Sean Miller and Texas on Dec. 3 and No. 17 Alabama hosting Clemson in a rematch of the 2024 Elite Eight game that gave the Crimson Tide their first-ever Final Four appearance.
The women’s Challenge is scheduled for Dec. 3 and Dec. 4, with multiple games between teams ranked in the top 10 of ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25. The SEC and ACC have a combined nine teams ranked inside the top 11.
Dec. 3 is headlined by No. 9 NC State traveling to No. 6 Oklahoma, while Dec. 4 is loaded with high-level matchups.
National runner-up and No. 1 South Carolina travels to No. 17 Louisville and there are top-10 games featuring No. 5 LSU heading to No. 8 Duke and No. 4 Texas hosting No. 10 North Carolina. No. 18 Notre Dame also plays at No. 14 Ole Miss.
Times and television designations are yet to be announced. Both the men’s and women’s Challenges will be televised across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network and SEC Network.
Full listing of ACC/SEC Challenge matchups
Men’s Challenge
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Florida at Duke
UNC at Kentucky
Tennessee at Syracuse
Texas A&M at Pittsburgh
Missouri at Notre Dame
Georgia at Florida State
Oklahoma at Wake Forest
Miami at Ole Miss
Virginia Tech at South Carolina
Wednesday, Dec. 3
NC State at Auburn
Louisville at Arkansas
SMU at Vanderbilt
Clemson at Alabama
Mississippi State at Georgia Tech
LSU at Boston College
Virginia at Texas
Women’s Challenge
Wednesday, Dec. 3
Kentucky at Miami
Tennessee at Stanford
NC State at Oklahoma
Georgia at Florida State
Auburn at Syracuse
Georgia Tech at Texas A&M
Virginia at Vanderbilt
Thursday, Dec. 4
LSU at Duke
South Carolina at Louisville
Florida at Virginia Tech
Notre Dame at Ole Miss
UNC at Texas
Clemson at Alabama
Arkansas at SMU
Pittsburgh at Mississippi State
California at Missouri
