ESPN seems to think UVA Basketball is worthy of a marquee game in its SEC/ACC Challenge.
The TV network announced the matchups for the 2026 Challenge on Friday, and Virginia gets a home game with buhgawd Kentucky, on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
The latest ESPN too-early Top 25 for next season has Virginia at #14 and Kentucky at #17; the too-early Top 25 from The Athletic has Virginia at #13 and Kentucky at #20.
I’m thinking the next renderings will move the ‘Hoos up into the Top 10, after the news from last night that Ryan Odom filled his last roster hole, with the commitment of Jan Vide, a 6’6” point guard from Loyola-Marymount who averaged 12.1 points and 4.0 assists per game last season.
Odom easily has a Top 10 team for next season, and he’s scheduling accordingly.
Virginia, in its non-conference schedule, goes on the road to Maryland in mid-November, hits the Bahamas for the high-profile Battle 4 Atlantis later in November, now gets Kentucky at home on Dec. 2, and will meet up with UConn in Madison Square Garden in December.
The ACC schedule, released last week, also gives the ‘Hoos a home-and-home with Duke.
Can it just be basketball season already?
2026 SEC/ACC Men’s Challenge
Tuesday, Dec. 1
- Auburn at Clemson
- Duke at Florida
- Texas at Louisville
- Florida State at Tennessee
- Wake Forest at LSU
- Pitt at Missouri
- South Carolina at NC State
- Arkansas at North Carolina
- Syracuse at Oklahoma
- Ole Miss at Virginia Tech
- Boston College at Georgia
Wednesday, Dec. 2
- Georgia Tech at Mississippi State
- Vanderbilt at Notre Dame
- Alabama at Miami
- Stanford at Texas A&M
- Kentucky at Virginia
2026 SEC/ACC Women’s Challenge
Wednesday, Dec. 2
- LSU at North Carolina
- Louisville at Texas
- Miami at Florida
- Georgia at SMU
- NC State at Ole Miss
- Stanford at Auburn
Thursday, Dec. 3
- South Carolina at Duke
- Notre Dame at Vanderbilt
- Tennessee at Virginia Tech
- Clemson at Kentucky
- Oklahoma at Syracuse
- Wake Forest at Arkansas
- Missouri at Florida State
- Texas A&M at California
- Georgia Tech at Alabama
- Virginia at Mississippi State
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Chris Graham
