By R.L. Bynum
Both Carolina basketball programs will open December on national television, with ESPN announcing game times and networks Monday for the fourth annual SEC/ACC Challenge.
Coach Michael Malone’s men’s team draws the opening-night spotlight. Arkansas, No. 10 on ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, visits Chapel Hill on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, the first game of a doubleheader that closes with No. 1 Florida hosting No. 2 Duke, a rare regular-season meeting between the nation’s top two teams.
The Carolina men are 2–1 in the Challenge, with a 67–64 win last season at Kentucky, a 92–79 loss to Alabama two seasons ago and a 100–92 victory over Tennessee in 2023.
Coach Courtney Banghart’s women get their turn the following night. North Carolina, ranked No. 9 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, hosts No. 10 LSU on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN2, one of four ranked matchups on the women’s slate. The game leads directly into another Top-10 showdown, No. 7 Louisville at No. 8 Texas in Austin at 9:15 p.m., also on ESPN2.
The UNC women are 1–2 in the Challenge, with losses last season at Texas 79–64, a 72–53 win two seasons ago against Kentucky and a 65–58 loss to South Carolina in 2023.
In all, the three-day event will include a combined 23 appearances from ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 across both the men’s and women’s brackets, including 12 men’s teams and 11 women’s teams. The men’s challenge runs Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, and the women’s challenge runs Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, with games spread across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network and ACC Network.
Tuesday’s full men’s slate also includes South Carolina visiting N.C. State at 7 p.m. on ACC Network, while No. 4 Texas travels to No. 12 Louisville at 9 p.m. on ESPN2 in a Top-15 matchup. Wednesday’s men’s action features No. 19 Kentucky at No. 13 Virginia (7:15 p.m., ESPN) and No. 14 Alabama at No. 17 Miami (9:15 p.m., ESPN).
The women’s event closes Thursday with a marquee ESPN doubleheader: No. 1 South Carolina at No. 3 Duke at 7 p.m., followed by No. 16 Notre Dame at No. 11 Vanderbilt at 9 p.m.
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Men’s Challenge
Listed rankings are from ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25”
| Date/Time | Matchup | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, 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 N.C. State | ACCN |
| 7 p.m. | Pittsburgh at No. 18 Missouri | SECN |
| 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 | ACCN |
| 9 p.m. | Wake Forest at LSU | SECN |
| 9:30 p.m. | No. 2 Duke at No. 1 Florida | ESPN |
| Wednesday, Dec. 2 | ||
| 7:15 p.m. | No. 19 Kentucky at No. 13 Virginia | ESPN |
| 7:15 p.m. | No. 21 Vanderbilt at Notre Dame | ACCN |
| 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 | SECN |
Women’s Challenge
Listed rankings are from ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25”
| Date/time | Matchup | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, 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. | N.C. State at No. 15 Ole Miss | ESPNU |
| 7:15 p.m. | Stanford at Auburn | SECN |
| 9:15 p.m. | No. 7 Louisville at No. 8 Texas | ESPN2 |
| 9:15 p.m. | Georgia at SMU | ACCN |
| Thursday, 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 | ACCNk |
| 7 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Alabama | SECN |
| 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 | ACCN |
| 9 p.m. | Wake Forest at Arkansas | SECN |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
