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Matchups for the ACC/SEC emerged on Wednesday, with a couple of headline showdowns, and a handful of otherwise intriguing games. Plus, we highlight the notable players from the first day of the Top 100 camp, note Murray State's newest addition, and much more.
Samuel Lance
June 12, 2025
Good morning! Thanks for reading. Let's get to Wednesday’s news.
1. Four ACC/SEC challenge matchups we can’t wait to see
We’re in for a treat (probably) during next season’s ACC/SEC challenge. The matchups for the event were reported on Wednesday, per Jon Rothstein:
Specific dates and TV networks will be announced later.
There are several great games on this list, but a few stand out above the pack.
First, Duke and Florida — a game featuring two 2025 Final Four teams and two likely top-10 entering next season — will be electric. It’ll be a game packed with future pros, high-level schemes and an incredible frontcourt showdown. And hey, it’s in Cameron Indoor, one of college hoops’ best atmospheres.
North Carolina at Kentucky also will be awesome. The Wildcats haven’t played host to the Tar Heels since 2014. Those two programs have combined for 38 Final Fours and are the bluest of Blue Bloods.
The other intriguing games? Two newly hired coaches going at it in Ryan Odom’s Virginia at Sean Miller’s Texas and Will Wade vs. Bruce Pearl, a clash of big time coaching personalities. Two top-10 ranked freshman guards matching up in Louisville (Mikel Brown Jr.) at Arkansas (Darius Acuff). And we haven’t even mentioned Clemson at Alabama, Jai Lucas and Miami traveling to Ole Miss or the “Orange Bowl” between Tennessee and Syracuse. What a slate!
Some of these matchups might not be overly competitive (Tennessee vs. Syracuse) and some might not draw many viewers (LSU vs. B.C.), but it’s hard to complain too much about 16 games between power conference leagues.
More interesting will be if the ACC can fare better than last season’s horrid 14-2 drubbing. The SEC likely will be favored to win the majority of matchups, but maybe college basketball’s old powerhouse conference can put on a better display.
More Wednesday scheduling news:
The Big 12 conference matchups will be announced today. We’ll dive into that on Friday.
Kentucky and Florida are expected to meet twice during the 2025-26 season after only playing once last year.
DePaul will play Georgia Tech and LSU will match up with Drake in the first round of the 2025 Emerald Coast Classic.
San Francisco will play host to Loyola Chicago on Dec. 17.
The Caymans Islands Classic announced its schedule of games from Nov. 23-25,
2. High school stars show out at NBPA Top-100 camp
With the lull of the offseason and most roster’s complete for the 2025-26 season, all eyes are turning to high school recruits. Currently, 100+ athletes from across the country are competing at NBPA Top-100 camp in Rock Hill, S.C.
