ESPN announced the network schedule for the fourth annual SEC/ACC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Challenge, a three-day showcase featuring many of the nation’s premier programs in some of college basketball’s most anticipated non-conference matchups. The event spans Dec. 1-3 and pits teams from two of the sport’s powerhouse conferences across ESPN networks.
The SEC/ACC Men’s Challenge will be contested Tuesday, Dec. 1 and Wednesday, Dec. 2, while the Women’s Challenge is slated for Wednesday, Dec. 2 and Thursday, Dec. 3. Games will air across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network and ACC Network and stream on the ESPN App.
The Men’s Challenge features 12 teams in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Men’s Basketball Top-25, including No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Duke, No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 10 Arkansas.
Opening night features a blockbuster ESPN doubleheader, beginning with No. 10 Arkansas at North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. ET. The spotlight then shifts to Gainesville, where preseason No. 1 Florida hosts No. 2 Duke in a rare regular-season meeting between the nation’s top two teams. Additionally, Tuesday features a Top-15 matchup as No. 4 Texas heads to Louisville to take on the 12th-ranked Cardinals (9 p.m., EPSN2). The marquee matchups continue Wednesday with No. 19 Kentucky visiting No. 13 Virginia at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by No. 14 Alabama at No. 17 Miami at 9:15 p.m. ET.
2026 SEC/ACC Men’s Basketball Challenge
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Tue, Dec. 1 | 5 p.m. | Boston College at Georgia | ESPN2 |
| 7 p.m. | Florida State at No. 6 Tennessee | ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Auburn at Clemson | ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | South Carolina at NC State | ACC Network | |
| 7 p.m. | Pittsburgh at No. 18 Missouri | SEC Network | |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 10 Arkansas at North Carolina | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 4 Texas at No. 12 Louisville | ESPN2 | |
| 9 p.m. | Syracuse at Oklahoma | ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | Ole Miss at Virginia Tech | ACC Network | |
| 9 p.m. | Wake Forest at LSU | SEC Network | |
| 9:30 p.m. | No. 2 Duke at No. 1 Florida | ESPN | |
| Wed, Dec 2 | 7:15 p.m. | No. 19 Kentucky at No. 13 Virginia | ESPN |
| 7:15 p.m. | No. 21 Vanderbilt at Notre Dame | ACC Network | |
| 9:15 p.m. | No. 14 Alabama at No. 17 Miami | ESPN | |
| 9:15 p.m. | Stanford at Texas A&M | ESPNU | |
| 9:15 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Mississippi State | SEC Network |
*Rankings based on ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25
The Women’s Challenge features two NCAA Women’s Final Four teams from last season in No. 1 South Carolina and No. 8 Texas. In all, a combined 11 teams from ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Women’s Basketball Top 25 will participate: No. 1 South Carolina, No. 3 Duke, No. 7 Louisville, No. 8 Texas, No. 9 North Carolina, No. 10 LSU, No. 11 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 16 Notre Dame, No. 17 Kentucky and No. 24 Oklahoma.
The two-day women’s challenge will see four Top-25 matchups, including No. 10 LSU at No. 9 North Carolina tipping off Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN2. Immediately following is another Top-10 battle between No. 7 Louisville and No. 8 Texas in Austin at 9:15 p.m. (ESPN2). Viewers can catch a premier ESPN doubleheader on Thursday, with No. 1 South Carolina heading to No. 3 Duke (7 p.m.), followed by No. 16 Notre Dame against the 11th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores at 9 p.m.
2026 SEC/ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Wed, Dec 2 | 5 p.m. | Miami at Florida | ESPNU |
| 7:15 p.m. | No. 10 LSU at No. 9 North Carolina | ESPN2 | |
| 7:15 p.m. | NC State at No. 15 Ole Miss | ESPNU | |
| 7:15 p.m. | Stanford at Auburn | SEC Network | |
| 9:15 p.m. | No. 7 Louisville at No. 8 Texas | ESPN2 | |
| 9:15 p.m. | Georgia at SMU | ACC Network | |
| Thu, Dec 3 | 7 p.m. | No. 1 South Carolina at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 7 p.m. | Clemson at No. 17 Kentucky | ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | No. 24 Oklahoma at Syracuse | ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | Missouri at Florida State | ACC Network | |
| 7 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Alabama | SEC Network | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 16 Notre Dame at No. 11 Vanderbilt | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | Tennessee at Virginia Tech | ESPN2 | |
| 9 p.m. | Virginia at Mississippi State | ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | Texas A&M at Cal | ACC Network | |
| 9 p.m. | Wake Forest at Arkansas | SEC Network |
*Rankings based on ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25
Commentator pairings for the SEC/ACC Men’s and Women’s Challenges will be announced closer to the event.