SEC-ACC Challenge features UNC-Alabama rematch: What are the other top matchups?

Matchups for the second SEC-ACC Problem — and the primary together with each conferences’ newly added colleges — had been launched Wednesday, each leagues introduced.

Altogether, the problem options eight applications from The Athletic’s preseason top-25: Alabama (No. 1), Duke (No. 6), Tennessee (No. 8), Auburn (No. 10), Texas A&M (No. 11), North Carolina (No. 12), Florida (No. 16) and Kentucky (No. 24).

Among the many highlights: Alabama travels to North Carolina in a rematch of this season’s Candy 16 thriller; Texas — in its first yr within the SEC — performs at NC State, which is coming off a Ultimate 4 look; and Kentucky, led by new coach Mark Pope, faces a Clemson group coming off its second-ever Elite Eight look.

The occasion is damaged into two days.

Matchups for the primary date — Tuesday, Dec. 3 — are:

South Carolina at Boston School
California at Missouri
Kentucky at Clemson
Florida State at LSU
Georgia Tech at Oklahoma
Ole Miss at Louisville
Arkansas at Miami
Notre Dame at Georgia
Syracuse at Tennessee
Wake Forest at Texas A&M

Matchups for the second date — Wednesday, Dec. 4 — are:

Auburn at Duke
Texas at NC State
Alabama at North Carolina
Pittsburgh at Mississippi State
Virginia at Florida
Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech

The expanded schedule and new groups come on account of latest convention realignment, a lot of which was spurred by Texas and Oklahoma’s announcement in the summertime of 2022 that they had been shifting to the SEC. Though a number of ACC colleges voted in opposition to it, the league final season absorbed California, Stanford and SMU — the latter two of which aren’t featured on this yr’s problem — amidst the dissolution of the Pac-12.

Mark Pope is getting into his first season because the coach at his alma mater, Kentucky. (James Crisp / AP)

Which matchups are most fascinating?

Alabama at North Carolina could also be the very best matchup of all of them, for a number of causes. For starters, each groups return All-America guards, as Mark Sears is again for the Crimson Tide and RJ Davis is again for the Tar Heels. Then think about that these applications met within the Candy 16 — with Alabama prevailing en path to the primary Ultimate 4 in program historical past — and there’s one other juicy angle.

However much more, Nate Oats has gained two pivotal latest recruiting battles in opposition to Hubert Davis and UNC. First, he satisfied ahead Jarin Stevenson, a Chapel Hill native, to reclassify to Alabama final offseason, and this spring, Oats landed former Rutgers middle Cliff Omoruyi as a substitute of Davis. Each groups needs to be ranked within the high 15 on the time of their assembly.

However there are a number of different intriguing video games. Auburn and Duke may very well be a top-10 matchup, even with that recreation approaching the again finish of a frightening nonconference gauntlet for the Blue Devils. John Calipari and his new Arkansas group will head to south Florida to play a Miami group trying to return to its 2023 Ultimate 4 type. New coaches abound, as Arkansas (Calipari), Kentucky (Pope), Vanderbilt (Mark Byington) and Louisville (Pat Kelsey) look to get settled in with their new staffs.

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Different video games to look at

Two sleeper video games which will have large NCAA Match implications? Wake Forest at Texas A&M and Virginia at Florida. Steve Forbes received again All-ACC guard Hunter Sallis on the NBA Draft deadline, and Forbes will probably be relying on Sallis to get the Demon Deacons again to the NCAA Match for the primary time throughout Forbes’  tenure. Texas A&M, in the meantime, misplaced the most effective video games of this previous NCAA Match — in extra time to Houston within the spherical of 32 — and will probably be trying to set up itself as extra of an SEC frontrunner.

As for Virginia, it was one of many last groups into the Massive Dance this March however received bounced (and embarrassed) in its First 4 assembly in opposition to Colorado State. Tony Bennett responded by including arguably the very best portal class at school historical past. In the meantime, Florida noticed main scorer Walter Clayton Jr. withdraw from the NBA Draft, and he’ll be tasked with taking the Gators to new heights in Todd Golden’s third season.

(Photograph: Harry How / Getty Pictures)