The schedule and matchups for the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenger in men’s college basketball, which will take place on November 28 and November 29, were released on Wednesday. There are plenty of interesting matchups on the list as the two leagues combine to include eight of the top 25 teams in Gary Parrish’s current Top 25 and 1 rankings. We’re ready for some heavyweight showdowns before league play begins for each conference.
In previous seasons, the ACC had competed against the Big Ten in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The event ended last season, however, after the Big Ten signed a lucrative new media rights deal that didn’t include ESPN. From there, the challenge for the newly formed ACC/SEC emerged.
Heading the action is a matchup between two top 15 teams with Duke set to take on Arkansas as the third seeded Blue Devils travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to battle with the Razorbacks. Duke brings in one of the most talented freshman classes in America as Arkansas reloads after losing Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. to NBA Draft. Another top 20 matchup on the list, Kentucky hosts Miami, a recent Final Four appearance.
Below is a ranking of the 2023 ACC/SEC Challenge Games in order from most attractive to least attractive.
The teams’ rankings mirror those of Parrish’s most recent 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 to win against the Razorbacks, which would mark the final win of Coach K’s stellar career. Joining the program are four five-star Duke recruits this season: Jared McCain, Sean Stewart, Caleb Foster and TJ Bauer. As for Arkansas, they have the fifth-ranked transfer gate, according to 247Sports rankings, and will be looking 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 like it was going to field a new heavyweight team. The Wildcats have the top recruiting class in the upcoming state but lack the veteran experience on the roster. That changed when Kentucky added West Virginia transfer Trey Mitchell and Antonio Reeves announced he would return to the school for another season. Miami lost Jordan Miller and Isaiah Wong in the NBA Draft. The Hurricanes did receive key offseason transfer Florida State forward Matthew Cleveland, however.
North Carolina is 10-2 all-time against Tennessee, but the last game of 2021 featured an 89-72 win over the Vols. Prior to that, UNC had won five straight against Tennessee. North Carolina is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament this season after last season saw a stunning drop from grace as the Tar Heels were left out after appearing in the national title game the year before. The Vols are still looking to get past the Sweet 16 under Rick Barnes.
The last time Virginia and Texas A&M met in basketball was on December 29, 1962, when the two teams traveled to Virginia and won 60-59. Now, 61 years later, it’s time for a rematch this fall. Texas A&M is returning four starters from a team that reached the NCAA Tournament last spring and will be looking to be competitive in the SEC this season. Virginia is coming off a heartbreaking loss in the NCAA Tournament to Furman, even though the Cavaliers won 25 games last season for the sixth time under head coach Tony Bennett.
Mississippi State came 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 a close. Mississippi State brings back its top five scorers from last season in Tolo Smith, Shaquille Moore, DJ Jeffries, Dashawn Davis and Cameron Matthews. Georgia Tech is entering its first season under new head coach Damon Stoudamire. The Yellow Jackets return four starters from last season, including leading scorer Miles Kelly, and have the 17th-best transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports.
Both teams made it to the NCAA Tournament last season, and both teams will likely be in the field again come March 2024. Missouri’s top eight scorers last season were seniors, but the Tigers bring back Nick Honor, Noah Carter, and Shaun East from a team that reached the round the second. Meanwhile, Pete is back in the frontcourt from last season: Blake Henson and Federico Federico.
The Chris Byrd era at Ole Miss kicks off this fall and the Rebels are tied with NC State in the event. Ole Miss has struggled badly in the past two seasons but has brought in transfers like Moussa Cisse, Alain Flanigan and Brandon Murray to bolster the roster. The Wolfpack brings back two solid newbies in DJ Burns and Casey Morsell.
Nate Oats’ roster this season will look very different compared to the Alabama team that was the top seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide lost Brandon Miller and Noah Clooney in the draft and SEC co-star Jahvon Quinnerly announced he entered the transfer gate last week. Oats has done a very solid job this season in the transfer gate, 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 recent All-Big West honors. season. Clemson is 8-4 all-time against Alabama and returns PJ Hall, Chase Hunter and Alex Hemenway.
Virginia Tech and Auburn will meet on the field for the first time since December 21, 1999. The Tigers lead the all-time series 5-2, and this will be only the second time Auburn has hosted the game. Virginia Tech is looking to recover from a disappointing season that saw it miss out on the NCAA Tournament. The team brings back Hunter Cator and Sean Pedulla, while Auburn brings back last season’s top scorer, Johnny Broome.
The series ever between Boston College and Vanderbilt was held at four, and the two will face off this fall for the first time since December 30, 2000. Boston College will face an SEC opponent in the regular season for the first time since 2020 and is 12-11 all-time against opponents from the conference. Vanderbilt barely missed the NCAA Tournament last season after a late season rush that saw them win 10 of their last 12 regular season/conference tournament games.
For the first time in 23 years, Notre Dame will enter a basketball season without Mike Bree. The former Fighting Irish coach announced he was leaving the program before the end of last season and has since joined the Atlanta Hawks in an assistant role. Notre Dame hired Penn State’s Micah Shrewsbury in the offseason to replace Bray. If it were a matchup between women’s basketball programs, this game would be at the top of the list. South Carolina lost JJ Jackson, their leading scorer last season, in the NBA but brought back talented guard Mitchie Johnson.
Syracuse is in the same region as Notre Dame but on a more extreme level as the Orange will play the basketball season without Jim Boehm as the program’s head coach for the first time since the 1976 season. This is only the second time that Syracuse and LSU will meet, it’s the first game since 1985. They lost. LSU has two leading scorers from last season in KJ Williams and Adam Miller.
13. Georgia is in Florida
Georgia State and Florida date back to 1951. The two programs have met 31 times in basketball, but this will be the first game since December 1, 1981 when Georgia won 70-67. The two schools would meet at least once in the 1954-1966 season, and Florida State leads the all-time series 19-12. Georgia is looking to take the next step under head coach Mike White after a 16-16 season last year.
Florida last faced Wake Forest on December 20, 2014. The Gators won the game 63-50 and led the all-time series 7-5. Florida comes off a disappointing 16-17 season as Wake Forest looks to recover from missing out on the NCAA Tournament after winning 25 games during the 2021-22 season.