NCAA Basketball: Auburn/Duke, UNC/Alabama highlight 10 key storylines for the 2024 ACC-SEC Challenge
Cal/Missouri might take some time to get used to
California, the newest member of the ACC, drawing Missouri is a simple, yet subtle, reminder of how different the college basketball landscape will look next season. With the dissolvement of the PAC-12 and Oklahoma and Texas departing for the SEC, we will see a 16-team Big 12, 16-team SEC, 18-team ACC and an 18-team Big Ten. Whether fans across the country are fond of it or not, it’s the simple reality we face, which may take some time to get used to.
For example, Washington and Oregon may be joining the Big Ten. Utah, Arizona and Arizona State may be heading to the Big 12. Yet, no realignment move is a seemingly less compatible fit than California off to the ACC. Simply understanding California and the ACC is a tiresome process. However, to dismay or not, the California Golden Bears -- the alma mater of Missouri head coach Dennis Gates -- will travel to Columbia, Missouri as part of the ACC-SEC challenge. It may not make sense now, but perhaps time can do its part and it will make sense later.
Wake Forest/Texas A&M: most underrated matchup?
When the pairings were released, the one that got overlooked the most was Wake Forest traveling to College Station. Texas A&M, a presumed preseason top-25 team, is set to return seven of their top eight scorers according to Jeff Borzelo, ESPN Staff Writer. Most notably, Texas A&M returns the heartbeat of their team: the high-scoring, potential All-American Wade Taylor IV. The Aggies should be much more consistent this season with their returning core intact and will once again be one of the more physically imposing, board-crashing teams in college basketball.
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However, Wake Forest seems to match up well with the Aggies as the Demon Deacons enter the 2024-25 campaign with high expectations, too. Leading scorer Hunter Sallis is back after withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft. Cameron Hildreth is back. Efton Reid III is back, a big-time help on the boards. Steve Forbes does a great job with developing guards, now can he develop wings? Former five-star Iowa State forward Omaha Biliew will put Forbes' development skills to the test. The talent is there in Winston Salem, and a road trip to College Station is the perfect opportunity for a tournament-hopeful Wake Forest squad.