NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 16 matchups for 2024 ACC/SEC Challenge

Last season was the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge, a new non-conference NCAA Basketball series between the power conferences. In the past, the ACC took on the Big Ten for years, while the SEC played the Big 12 for a little bit before the switch.

There were 14 matchups last season between the two leagues, with Louisville sitting out as the extra team from the ACC. Thanks to a few wins by the SEC in the final window, the end result was a 7-7 tie. There were a number of interesting results looking back in hindsight.

Arkansas, who ended up finishing under .500 overall on the season, managed to beat top-10 Duke. Georgia Tech upset a ranked Mississippi State squad, while Kentucky won by 22 points over then-No. 8 Miami. The most entertaining game was when UNC scored 100 points in a win over No. 10 Tennessee, while the most impactful result may have been Pittsburgh losing at home to Missouri. It was one of the final wins of the season for the Tigers (went winless in SEC play), helping push the Panthers to one of the first four teams out of the postseason.

Now, there will be 16 new matchups this time around, thanks to expansion from both sides. Texas and Oklahoma will be representing the SEC, while newcomer Cal will be playing for the ACC. The two sitting on the outside of new ACC programs, SMU and Stanford.

With most of these rosters close to finalized for the 2024-25 season, which matchups look most appealing on paper? Here’s a power ranking of the games to watch in the ACC/SEC Challenge.