The ACC-SEC Men’s Challenge regularly delivers some of the best nonconference games in men’s college basketball, and next season should be no different.
Matchups for the fourth iteration of the event were officially released Friday, pitting some of the sport’s most storied brands and coaches against one another. And while the SEC has largely owned the last two seasons, going 23-9, the ACC has some favorable matchups in a few of next season’s highest-profile contests. (SMU and California are the two ACC teams not participating, due to the conferences’ differing sizes.)
As for the headliner game? That would (again) be Duke versus Florida, a year after the Blue Devils narrowly outlasted the Gators 67-66 in Durham. Both teams went on to win their conferences and become No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s entirely possible again in 2026-27. It would be no surprise, given the returning talent on both sides — Florida’s frontcourt trio of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu, and Duke’s core of Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba — if next season’s game in Gainesville is a Final Four preview.
But that’s far from the only juicy matchup that awaits. With 11 teams from CJ Moore’s most-recent offseason top 26 set to participate — six of whom will face one another — let’s take a look at the matchups we’re most excited for:
1. No. 3 Duke at No. 2 Florida
Cameron Boozer was the difference against UF’s elite frontline last season, but this year it’ll be on Duke’s perimeter — arguably the nation’s best, after adding Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell — to deliver, in what should be one of the best on-campus games all season. We wouldn’t hate if Jon Scheyer and Todd Golden wanted to make this one an annual occurrence.
2. No. 7 Texas at No. 11 Louisville
Two of the biggest transfer portal spenders this spring, both with Final Four ambitions — but are those justified? This game will go a long way in determining that, especially for Pat Kelsey’s Cards. On the floor, how does Flory Bidunga — the No. 1 transfer this spring, per The Athletic’s rankings — fare against the Longhorns’ physical frontcourt duo of Matas Vokietaitis and TCU transfer David Punch?
3. No. 20 Kentucky at No. 13 Virginia
Landing sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic took some of the heat off Mark Pope, at least temporarily, but these are the games Cats fans expect to win. As for Virginia, which returns potential ACC Player of the Year Thjis de Ridder, this is an early statement game to prove Ryan Odom’s Cavaliers are legitimate ACC contenders.
4. No. 9 Arkansas at North Carolina
Michael Malone’s first marquee home game as UNC’s head coach is a doozy. The Razorbacks — led by Jordan Smith Jr., the No. 2 recruit in the 2026 class, plus three other five-stars — are a John Calipari throwback team, with as much youth as long-term upside. It’s not the worst matchup on paper for the Tar Heels, who will depend on a trio of transfer guards — Matt Able (NC State), Neo Avdalas (Virginia Tech) and Terrence Brown Jr. (Utah) — to carry Malone’s first roster.
5. Alabama at No. 18 Miami
Jai Lucas had a sensational first season in South Florida, and after a number of shrewd offseason moves — including signing the transfer tandem of Villanova guard Acaden Lewis and Georgia center Somto Cyril — the Canes are dark-horse ACC contenders. As for Alabama, will Nate Oats have Aden Holloway back? The sharpshooter missed the NCAA Tournament while facing felony drug charges, but could have his legal matters resolved before next season.
6. Auburn at Clemson
Steven Pearl’s first Auburn team narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament, but retaining Tahaad Pettiford was huge, and the rest of the Tigers’ roster is totally revamped. As for the other Tigers, coach Brad Brownell will probably be without injured contributors Zac Foster and Carter Welling — both of whom are recovering from torn ACLs — this early in the year, but never count out the ACC’s longest-tenured coach.
Rick Barnes and Tennessee could have an all-transfer starting five next season, led by Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
7. Florida State at No. 15 Tennessee
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes’ apparent pivot from defensive-minded, grind-it-out teams to one stocked with high-usage scorers will be one of the most fascinating Xs and Os storylines of this season. Florida State coach Luke Loucks better hope the Vols are still tinkering with those pieces in early December if an entirely new Seminoles team is going to have a shot in Knoxville.
8. Ole Miss at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech coach Mike Young quietly had a nice offseason, retaining Amani Hansberry and point guard Ben Hammond. If the Hokies are going to make it back to the Big Dance, they need to win games like this.
9. South Carolina at NC State
Justin Gainey’s first NC State team is heavy on former mid-major darlings, but Paul McNeil — one of the best shooters in the sport — returning was arguably his biggest offseason win. As for South Carolina, these are the measuring-stick games that Lamont Paris, who is firmly on the hot seat, cannot afford to lose.
10. Boston College at Georgia
It was something of a surprise that Boston College was the job that ultimately lured Luke Murray away from UConn and Dan Hurley, but the offensive guru put together an Eagles roster that should be BC’s most competitive in years. That’s the reverse of what coach Mike White dealt with in Athens, losing Cyril and leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson to the transfer portal.
11. Pittsburgh at Missouri
With top-10 recruit Jason Crowe Jr. in the fold — and a number of savvy transfer additions, like Kansas forward Bryson Tiller — Missouri coach Dennis Gates could have a sneaky-good team. This is a tough draw for Pitt coach Jeff Capel, who enters a must-win year relying on ACC retreads like Nait George (Syracuse) and Baye Ndongo (Georgia Tech).
12. Syracuse at Oklahoma
Gerry McNamara’s first Syracuse team should be longer and more athletic than any that Red Autry fielded the last three seasons, but how will the Orange hang against high-major competition? It’s a winnable game, at least, against a top-heavy Sooners team that might live and die on transfer guard Pop Isaacs’ shot-making.
13. Stanford at No. 26 Texas A&M
Bucky McMillan proved that “Bucky Ball” can work at the high-major level in his first season at Texas A&M, and Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty — one of the best bucket-getters in the sport — should be a glove-like fit in that system. That’s tough news for a Stanford squad that saw star freshman Ebuka Okorie stay in the NBA Draft, and which will almost certainly struggle to replace the one-and-done’s production.
14. No. 25 Vanderbilt at Notre Dame
With All-SEC guard Tyler Tanner opting to return to school, Vandy coach Mark Byington once again has a top-25 caliber squad and one of the sport’s best offenses. There wasn’t a better matchup out there than Notre Dame, which will be fighting uphill to make the ACC tournament?
15. Wake Forest at LSU
Why isn’t new-again LSU coach Will Wade playing at NC State, the school he jilted after only one season? That would’ve been must-see TV. Instead, the wrong Tobacco Road foe — with one of college basketball’s smallest budgets — is probably no match for Wade’s international-heavy roster.
16. Georgia Tech at Mississippi State
Gotta find 16 matchups, right? New Georgia Tech coach Scott Cross is in the early stages of a major rebuild, while Chris Jans will be looking to bounce back after his first losing season in Starkville.
