By R.L. Bynum
As you might expect, a battle of two of the traditionally strong men’s college basketball programs will be a late prime-time game.
When Carolina and Kentucky play on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the third ACC/SEC Challenge, the game is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN. On Thursday, Dec. 4, the UNC women’s team visits Texas at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Carolina’s men also got schedule updates for ACC games that were originally either Tuesday or Wednesday: Tuesday, Dec. 30, vs. Florida State, Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Stanford, Wednesday, Jan. 21, vs. Notre Dame, Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Miami, Tuesday, Feb. 17, at N.C. State and Tuesday, March 3, vs. Clemson.
UNC’s men have a 25–18 record against Kentucky, but are 6–8 in Lexington, Ky., and 2–5 in Rupp Arena. The Wildcats have won the last two meetings in 2021 and 2023 in the CBS Sports Classic.
Kentucky won 84–70 on Dec. 13, 2014, in the last Rupp Arena meeting.
On ESPN before the UNC-Kentucky game at 7:30 p.m. will be reigning national champion Florida facing Duke, which made the Final Four. That start time also means it’s possible the UNC-Kentucky start time could be pushed even later.
This will be the first trip to face the Texas Longhorns for the UNC women and only the second meeting between the programs. Carolina won 75–73 in Chapel Hill in 1981.
Both the men and the women are 1–1 in the Challenge after the men lost at home to Alabama last season 92–79 and the women knocked off Kentucky at home 72–53.
Challenge schedule
Men (ranks are from ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25)
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Channel |
| Tues., Dec. 2 | 7 p.m. | No. 23 Tennessee at Syracuse | ESPN2 |
| 7 p.m. | Texas A&M at Pittsburgh | ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | Virginia Tech at South Carolina | SECN | |
| 7 p.m. | Oklahoma at Wake Forest | ACCN | |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 2 Florida at No. 12 Duke | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | Missouri at Notre Dame | ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | Miami at Ole Miss | SECN | |
| 9 p.m. | Georgia at Florida State | ACCN | |
| 9:30 p.m. | No. 25 North Carolina at No. 9 Kentucky | ESPN | |
| Wed., Dec. 3 | 7 p.m. | No. 7 Louisville at No. 11 Arkansas | ESPN |
| 7 p.m. | Clemson at No. 17 Alabama | ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | LSU at Boston College | ACCN | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 24 N.C. State at No. 14 Auburn | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | Virginia at Texas | ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | SMU at Vanderbilt | SECN | |
| 9 p.m. | Mississippi State at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
Women (ranks are from ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25)
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Channel |
| Wed., Dec. 3 | 5 p.m. | Kentucky at Miami | ESPN2 |
| 5 p.m. | Georgia at Florida State | ESPNU | |
| 5 p.m. | Virginia at No. 11 Vanderbilt | SECN | |
| 5 p.m. | Auburn at Syracuse | ACCN | |
| 7 p.m. | No. 9 N.C. State at No. 6 Oklahoma | ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Texas A&M | SECN | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 7 Tennessee at Stanford | ESPN2 | |
| Thurs., Dec. 4 | 5 p.m. | Florida at Virginia Tech | ESPN2 |
| 7 p.m. | No. 1 South Carolina at No. 17 Louisville | ESPN | |
| 7 p.m. | No. 10 North Carolina at No. 4 Texas | ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Clemson at Alabama | ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | Pittsburgh at Mississippi State | SECN | |
| 7 p.m. | Arkansas at SMU | ACCN | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 5 LSU at No. 8 Duke | ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 18 Notre Dame at No. 13 Ole Miss | ESPN2 | |
| 9 p.m. | California at Missouri | SECN |
UNC men’s schedule
| Date | Month/day | Time, TV | Opponent/event |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | |||
| 4 | Saturday | 60 minutes after conclusion of UNC-Clemson football game | Blue-White scrimmage |
| 24 | Friday | 9 p.m. | vs. BYU in Salt Lake City (exhibition) |
| 29 | Wednesday | TBA | vs. Winston-Salem State (exhibition) |
| November | |||
| 3 | Monday | TBA | vs. Central Arkansas |
| 7 | Friday | TBA | vs. Kansas |
| 11 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. Radford |
| 14 | Friday | TBA | vs. N.C. Central |
| 18 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. Navy |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | |||
| 25 | Tuesday | 6 p.m., FS1 | vs. St. Bonaventure |
| 27 | Thursday | 4:30 p.m., Fox | vs. Michigan State |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | 9:30, ESPN | at Kentucky |
| ————————— | |||
| 7 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Georgetown |
| 13 | Saturday | TBA | vs. USC Upstate |
| 16 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. East Tennessee State |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | |||
| 20 | Saturday | 3 p.m., CBS | vs. Ohio State |
| ————————— | |||
| 22 | Monday | TBA | vs. East Carolina |
| 30 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. Florida State |
| January | |||
| 3 | Saturday | TBA | at SMU |
| 10 | Saturday | TBA | vs. Wake Forest |
| 14 | Wednesday | TBA | At Stanford |
| 17 | Saturday | TBA | At California |
| 21 | Wednesday | TBA | vs. Notre Dame |
| 24 | Saturday | TBA | at Virginia |
| 31 | Saturday | TBA | at Georgia Tech |
| February | |||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m., ESPN | vs. Syracuse |
| 7 | Saturday | TBA | vs. Duke |
| 10 | Tuesday | TBA | at Miami |
| 14 | Saturday | TBA | vs. Pittsburgh |
| 17 | Tuesday | TBA | at N.C. State |
| 21 | Saturday | TBA | at Syracuse |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m., ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 28 | Saturday | TBA | vs. Virginia Tech |
| March | |||
| 3 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. Clemson |
| 7 | Saturday | TBA | at Duke |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
UNC women’s schedule
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | South Carolina (exhibition in Atlanta) | |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | 11 a.m. | vs. N.C. Central | |
| 6 | Thursday | TBA | vs. Elon | |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | 9 p.m. | vs. UCLA | |
| 15 | Sunday | 6 p.m. | vs. Fairfield | |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. A&T | |
| 23 | Sunday | TBA | vs. UNCG | |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | 11 a.m. | vs. South Dakota St. | FloCollege |
| 28 | Friday | 11 a.m. | vs. Kansas State | FloCollege |
| 29 | Saturday | 1:30 | vs. Columbia | FloCollege |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Texas | ESPN2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Boston Univ. | |
| 14 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Louisville | |
| 17 | Wednesday | TBA | vs. UNCW | |
| 21 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Charleston Southern | |
| 29 | Monday | TBA | at Boston College | |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | TBA | vs. California | |
| 4 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Stanford | |
| 11 | Sunday | TBA | at Notre Dame | |
| 15 | Thursday | TBA | vs. Miami | |
| 18 | Sunday | TBA | at Florida State | |
| 22 | Thursday | TBA | at Georgia Tech | |
| 25 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Syracuse | |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | TBA | at N.C. State | |
| 5 | Thursday | TBA | vs. Clemson | |
| 8 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Wake Forest | |
| 12 | Thursday | TBA | vs. SMU | |
| 15 | Sunday | TBA | at Duke | |
| 19 | Thursday | TBA | at Virginia Tech | |
| 22 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Pittsburgh | |
| 26 | Thursday | TBA | at Virginia | |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Duke | |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix, Ariz. |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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