First Annual ACC/SEC Challenge Games are Set

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For the first time in several years, the ACC will be taking part in a basketball challenge that does not include the Big-10. Instead, the SEC will be the other league in this format. Fourteen games will take place on the men’s side, with seven games each being played over two nights. Those nights are November 28 & 29. The women will take over on November 29 &30 with 14 more games over a two-night span. ESPN will be the home for both of these challenge events come fall.

The ACC track record on the men’s side is as solid as any league in college basketball. The conference boasted 17 national championships, and when it comes to the tournament, the league has the best winning percentage in history at .654. In the last eight tournaments, the league has won a total of 99 games while getting eight teams to the final four. This past spring the Miami Hurricanes made it to the national semi-finals. In the history of the NCAA Tournament, the league has won a grand total of 475 games.

Some of the marquee games to look for on the men’s side include Miami at Kentucky LSU at Syracuse, and Clemson at Alabama on November 28. The next night, November 29, Tennessee is at North Carolina, Duke at Arkansas, Texas A&M at Virginia. A great early season test for both leagues ahead of their conference schedules.

On the women’s side, the two most talked about leagues will meet in this challenge for the first time. The ACC has sent five teams to the last five women’s final four. Overall 23 programs have made appearances in the national semi-finals. Since 2014 the ACC has won a total of 119 games in the tournament. That’s the most of any league. The conference that is number two on that list is the SEC with 107. This past spring the Atlantic Coast Conference had eight teams in the field, which was the nation’s best. It was also the fifth straight year the league was able to do that. Over the last 21 NCAA Tournaments, the ACC has had at least one school make it to the Elite Eight. Three schools, Virginia Tech, Miami, and Louisville made it this spring. The streak is the longest in women’s college basketball for any league. The next longest such streak is at 13.

Some matchups to look forward to are Notre Dame at Tennessee, Louisville at Ole Miss, and Florida at Georgia Tech on November 29. On the 30th, South Carolina at North Carolina, Arkansas at Florida State, and Clemson at Auburn. Some great college basketball to look forward to as the dog days of summer continued.