The schedule and matchups for the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge in men’s college basketball, which will take place on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29, were released on Wednesday. There are plenty of intriguing games on the slate with the two leagues combining to feature eight of the top 25 teams in Gary Parrish’s current Top 25 And 1 rankings. We’re set for some heavyweight showdowns before league play starts for each conference.
In previous seasons, the ACC competed against the Big Ten in the annual Big Ten/ACC challenge. The event came to an end last season, however, after the Big Ten signed a new lucrative media rights deal that did not feature ESPN. From there, the newly formed ACC/SEC Challenge has emerged.
Headlining the event is a matchup of two top 15 teams with Duke set to face Arkansas as the third-ranked Blue Devils travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the battle with the Razorbacks. Duke brings in one of the most talented freshman classes in America while Arkansas is reloading after losing Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. to the NBA Draft. Another top-20 matchup on the slate features Kentucky hosting Miami, who is fresh off a Final Four appearance.
Below is a ranking of the 2023 ACC/SEC Challenge games in order from most appealing to least appealing.
Team rankings reflect those in Parrish’s latest Top 25 And 1
1. No. 3 Duke at No. 11 Arkansas
The last time these two programs faced off was in the Elite Eight portion of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils went on the beat the Razorbacks, which would mark the final win of Coach K’s remarkable coaching career. Duke has four five-star recruits joining the program this season in Jared McCain, Sean Stewart, Caleb Foster and TJ Power. As for Arkansas, they have the No. 5 transfer portal class, according to the 247Sports rankings, and will look to avenge the heartbreaking loss that dashed the Razorbacks’ national title hopes.
2. No. 10 Miami at No. 17 Kentucky
Just a few weeks ago, Kentucky looked as if it would feature a freshman-heavy team. The Wildcats have the No. 1 recruiting class in the country coming in but lacked veteran experience on the roster. That changed when Kentucky added West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell and Antonio Reeves announced he would be returning to school for another season. Miami lost Jordan Miller and Isaiah Wong to the NBA Draft. The Hurricanes picked up a key transfer in the offseason in Florida State forward Matthew Cleveland, however.
North Carolina is 10-2 all-time against Tennessee, but the last matchup in 2021 featured a 89-72 win for the Vols. Prior to that, UNC had won five straight against Tennessee. North Carolina is looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament this season after last season saw an incredible fall from grace as the Tar Heels were left out of the field after an appearance in the national title game the year prior. The Vols are still looking to make it past the Sweet 16 under Rick Barnes.
The last time Virginia and Texas A&M faced off in basketball was Dec. 29, 1962, when the Aggies traveled to Virginia and won 60-59. Now, 61 years later, it’s time for the rematch this fall. Texas A&M returns four starters from a team that reached the NCAA Tournament this past spring and will look to be a contender in the SEC this season. Virginia is coming off a heartbreaking NCAA Tournament loss to Furman, though the Cavaliers won 25 games last season for the sixth time under coach Tony Bennett.
Mississippi State came oh so close to reaching the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season. The Bulldogs had a chance to win the game at the buzzer against Pitt last season in the First Four but missed the shot as their season came to an end. Mississippi State returns its top five leading scorers from last season in Tolu Smith, Shakeel Moore, D.J. Jeffries, Dashawn Davis and Cameron Matthews. Georgia Tech is entering its first season under new coach Damon Stoudamire. The Yellow Jackets return four starters from last season, including leading scorer Miles Kelly, and they have the 17th-best transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports.
Both teams reached the NCAA Tournament last season, and it’s possible both teams could be in the field again when March 2024 comes around. Missouri’s top eight leading scorers from last season were seniors but the Tigers return Nick Honor, Noah Carter and Sean East ll from a team that reached the second round. Pitt, meanwhile, returns its starting frontcourt from last season: Blake Hinson and Federiko Federiko.
The Chris Beard era at Ole Miss tips off this fall and the Rebels draw a matchup with NC State in this event. Ole Miss has struggled mightily the past two seasons but have brought in transfers such as Moussa Cisse, Allen Flanigan and Brandon Murray to shore up the roster. The Wolfpack return two solid starters in DJ Burns and Casey Morsell.
Nate Oats’ roster this season will look very different compared to the Alabama team that was the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide lost Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney to the draft and SEC co-Sixth Man of the Year Jahvon Quinerly announced he was entering the transfer portal last week. Oats did a very solid job this offseason in the transfer portal, landing Hofstra guard Aaron Estrada and Cal State-Fullerton guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. Estrada is a two-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and Wrightshell earned All-Big West honors last season. Clemson is 8-4 all-time against Alabama and return PJ Hall, Chase Hunter and Alex Hemenway.
Virginia Tech and Auburn will meet on the court for the first time since Dec. 21, 1999. The Tigers lead the all-time series 5-2, and this will mark only the second time Auburn has hosted the matchup. Virginia Tech is looking to bounce back from a disappointing season that saw it miss out on the NCAA Tournament. The team returns Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla, while Auburn returns its leading scorer from last season, Johni Broome.
The all-time series between Boston College and Vanderbilt is knotted at four, and the two will face off this fall for the first time since Dec. 30, 2000. Boston College will face an SEC opponent in the regular season for the first time since 2020 and are 12-11 all-time against opponents from the conference. Vanderbilt barely missed out on the NCAA Tournament last season after a late-season surge that saw them win 10 of its final 12 games in the regular season/conference tournament.
For the first time in 23 years, Notre Dame will enter a basketball season without Mike Brey. The former Fighting Irish coach announced he was departing from the program before the end of last season and has since joined the Atlanta Hawks in an assistant role. Notre Dame hired away Micah Shrewsberry from Penn State in the offseason to replace Brey. If this was a matchup between the women’s basketball programs, this game would be at the top of the list. South Carolina lost GG Jackson, its leading scorer last season, to the NBA Draft but return talented guard Meechie Johnson.
Syracuse is in similar territory as Notre Dame but on a more extreme level as the Orange will play a basketball season without Jim Boeheim as the program’s head coach for the first time since the 1976 season. This is only the second time Syracuse and LSU will meet it’s the first matchup since 1985. LSU lost its two leading scorers from last season in KJ Williams and Adam Miller.
13. Georgia at Florida State
Georgia and Florida State have history dating back to 1951. The two programs have faced off 31 times in basketball but this will be the first matchup since Dec. 1, 1981 when Georgia won 70-67. The two schools used to meet at least once per season from 1954-1966, and Florida State leads the all-time series 19-12. Georgia is looking to take the next step under coach Mike White after a 16-16 season last year.
The last time Florida faced Wake Forest was Dec. 20, 2014. The Gators won that matchup 63-50 and they lead the all-time series 7-5. Florida is coming off a disappointing 16-17 season while Wake Forest is looking to bounce back from missing the NCAA Tournament after winning 25 games during the 2021-22 season.
