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The matchups and dates for the ACC/SEC Challenge have been set, with 16 premier college basketball games taking place between December 3 and December 4.
Every SEC team matched up against an ACC team, while two new ACC programs – Stanford and SMU – were left out of the event for this upcoming season.
The games will take place in home arenas, rather than neutral sites, which is a great opportunity for fans to see marquee non-conference basketball without having to travel. Matchups include a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight and a handful of completely rebuilt programs taking on what will likely be their first big test of the season.
Below is a look at all 16 matchups, ranked by intrigue, with a preview of each game:
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 4
Preview: An early test for new Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington, who picked up quite a few big wins last season at James Madison. Virginia Tech isn’t the same caliber win as Michigan State, but a win for the Commodores will certainly help fans feel like the program’s future is in good hands.
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 3
Preview: Mizzou had a nice rebuild this offseason under Dennis Gates, notably bringing in former Duke forward Mark Mitchell, and they’ll get a chance against Cal, the only ACC newcomer who drew a game in this challenge. The Golden Bears, like Mizzou, are trending in the right direction under coach Mark Madsen, giving this game some intrigue in the early part of the season.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 3
Preview: Lamont Paris led a surprising South Carolina program to a six seed in the NCAA Tournament, before suffering an upset loss to Oregon. Can Paris and the Gamecocks ride that momentum into another successful season in the SEC? A win over a Boston College program moving out of the Quinten Post era would be a great start.
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 3
Preview: Two programs hoping to make a push for an NCAA Tournament berth, Notre Dame is entering the second year of the Micah Shrewsberry era having kept a lot of core pieces together, while adding some mid-major talent in the portal. Can they take down a Georgia team that has steadily improved under coach Mike White? Whoever picks up a win will have a good resume booster heading into conference play.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 3
Preview: Florida State got excellent news that Jamir Watkins is returning to the ‘Noles after he declared for the NBA draft and entered the transfer portal. Still, Leonard Hamilton’s club lost nine players in the portal and hasn’t made a ton of additions – and it could be another rough year in Tallahassee. LSU showed some promise last year, and they need to win this one at home if they want a shot at an at-large bid in 2025.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 3
Preview: Oklahoma and Georgia Tech are two programs that showed a lot of improvement on the hardwood last season. Porter Moser has the Sooners on the cusp of being a consistently relevant program, while Damon Stoudamire and the Yellow Jackets pulled off multiple shocking upsets in his first year at the helm. That makes this game a fun one, as either program could sneak into the at-large conversation – with a win here helping the cause.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 4
Preview: Chris Jans led Mississippi State to an excellent campaign in 2023-24, while Pitt was one of the most notable NCAA Tournament snubs. The Panthers need to pick this one up to ensure their resume doesn’t get called into question again in 2025, while Jans and the Bulldogs want to build on last year’s momentum and turn some heads in the SEC.
Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 3
Preview: Like Pitt, Wake Forest was also left out of the big dance, and coach Steve Forbes will run it back with star guard Hunter Sallis in 2024-25. Buzz Williams and Texas A&M were among the worst three point shooting teams in the country last year, improvement in that area this offseason could help them make a push as a top seed when March rolls around.
Syndication: USA TODAY
Date: December 4
Preview: Kevin Keatts and NC State were last year’s tournament darlings, making it to the Final Four after winning five straight games in the ACC Tournament to earn an automatic bid. They have a very new look roster, however, and will face a tough early test against Texas who rebuilt via the transfer portal with additions like Tramon Mark (Arkansas) and Jordan Pope (Oregon State).
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 3
Preview: Syracuse is entering the second season of the Red Autry era, with the results a bit mixed in Year One. Some quality portal additions could have this Orange team in contention for an at-large bid, and a win at Tennessee is the huge resume boost a team like that needs. Rick Barnes and the Vols lose Dalton Knecht but still have an excellent core of talent as they once again will compete for the top spot in the SEC.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 4
Preview: This game pits a slow-paced, defensive focused Virginia squad against an up tempo, attacking Florida roster – which if nothing else should provide entertainment as a chess match between the two coaches.
Virginia wants to move past an embarrassing NCAA Tournament exit, while Florida has perhaps the most talented roster they have had under Golden and could be a dark horse Final Four or national championship contender.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 3
Preview: The schedulers missed a massive opportunity to send Arkansas, and coach John Calipari, to Louisville, but a matchup with Chris Beard’s upstart Ole Miss program is a great draw.
Pat Kelsey completely rebuilt Louisville and they are expected to be one of the most intriguing watches in all of college hoops next season – while the Rebels could make some real noise in Beard’s second full season.
(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Date: December 3
Preview: John Calipari’s new look Arkansas roster features Trevon Brazile’s return, Jonas Aidoo from Tennessee, Johnell Davis from Florida Atlantic, and a handful of former Kentucky players and recruits. How the pieces fit together will be a huge storyline this season, and a road matchup against a Miami team hoping to put last year behind them should be a great early season test for the Hogs.
Syndication: The Courier-Journal
Date: December 3
Preview: Kentucky, like Arkansas and Louisville, is a completely rebuilt roster with a new head coach. The Wildcats added a bunch of transfers under coach Mark Pope, and they’ll face an early test at Clemson to see how the pieces all fit together.
The Tigers lost PJ Hall but have a roster more than capable of making another big NCAA Tournament run, and this game will go a long way in determining seeding for both teams in the Big Dance.
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 4
Preview: Bruce Pearl and Auburn want to avenge last year’s early NCAA Tournament exit, and what better way to do that then going into Cameron Indoor and stealing a win from Duke? Cooper Flagg vs. Johni Broome is elite level basketball, and there’s no reason to believe this will be anything other than an elite non-conference battle.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 4
Preview: A rematch of the Elite Eight, both North Carolina and Alabama bring back their star point guards – RJ Davis and Mark Sears – which adds even more excitement to this matchup. Can Hubert Davis and Carolina exact revenge at home in Chapel Hill? Or will Nate Oats and ‘Bama establish themselves as a true hoops powerhouse with a massive non-con victory?
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Courtesy : https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/lists/ranking-matchups-acc-sec-challenge-college-basketball/