The SEC asserted its dominance in this year’s ACC/SEC Challenge, securing victories in 13 of the matchups between the two conferences.
Only three ACC teams—Syracuse (against Auburn), SMU (against Arkansas), and Virginia Tech (against Florida)—managed wins. All three ranked ACC squads, no. 11 North Carolina, no. 18 Notre Dame, and no. 22 Louisville, suffered defeats, though each fell to a higher-ranked opponent.
The ACC’s issues weren’t limited to the Challenge. Boston College was routed by 27 points against Quinnipiac, and Wake Forest, the league’s last unbeaten team, was upset at home by William & Mary.
The SEC ended the event just one victory shy of matching the SEC men’s mark from last season, when they dominated 14-2. That performance created a season-long storyline about a powerhouse SEC and a struggling ACC.
Ultimately, the SEC sent a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament, while the ACC earned just four bids, including the highly debated selection of North Carolina. A similar narrative could easily emerge on the women’s side this year.
ESPN’s matchup predictor favored the SEC in 13 of the 16 contests. The only projected ACC winners were Syracuse (over Auburn), Virginia Tech (against Florida), and SMU (over an Arkansas team ranked nearly 100 spots higher in the NET). The predictor proved accurate on all three.
The two leagues split the event 7-7 in 2023, while the SEC won 10-6 last season, giving it a 2-0-1 all-time lead.
Results (home team listed second)
Wednesday
Virginia 68, #15 Vanderbilt 81
#17 Kentucky 64, Miami 48
Auburn 60, Syracuse 66 (OT)
Georgia 80, Florida State 60
NC State 98, #9 Oklahoma 103 (OT)
Georgia Tech 63, Texas A&M 72
#19 Tennessee 65, Stanford 62
Thursday
Florida 64, Virginia Tech 68
#3 South Carolina 79, Louisville 77
#11 North Carolina 64, #2 Texas 79
Pitt 44, Mississippi State 79
Arkansas 63, SMU 78
Clemson 48, Alabama 72
#5 LSU 93, Duke 77
#18 Notre Dame 62, #13 Ole Miss 69
Cal 67, Mizzou 68
Takeaways
Duke’s downward slide persists with no signs of stopping—no further comment needed.
Both NC State and Louisville impressed, pushing Oklahoma and South Carolina to the brink.
Florida possesses plenty of talent and badly needed a win over Virginia Tech to boost its résumé, but couldn’t pull it off. This felt like the SEC’s lone truly disappointing result.
Missouri closed the night by improving to a surprising 8-2 with a narrow upset over Cal. Both teams now sit in the 70s in NET rankings—an encouraging step forward for Mizzou, but a setback for Cal.
Florida State may be having a down year, but Georgia’s 20-point victory is still a notable accomplishment.
SMU, sitting at 3-5 before the Challenge, was desperate for a quality win and got exactly that against Arkansas.
As for Clemson, losing to Alabama isn’t necessarily alarming, but a 24-point blowout indicates the Tigers may not be as far along in their rebuild as many believed.
