Men’s ACC/SEC Challenge guide: What to watch in Duke-Florida, UNC-Kentucky, more

The 2025 ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge features the AP’s top 25 men’s college basketball teams.

Tuesday night’s contest between No. 4 Duke and No. 15 Florida will be the first of three ranked matchups in the two-day event, followed by No. 16 North Carolina at No. 18 Kentucky later that night and No. 6 Louisville at No. 25 Arkansas on Wednesday.

Below, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf preview the top six games to watch in the next 48 hours.

tuesday games to watch

7 PM ET | espn

Syracuse had arguably the toughest draw of the Players Era Festival, finishing 0-3 against No. 8 Houston, No. 21 Kansas and No. 10 Iowa State. This game won’t get any easier. Tennessee ranks in the top-20 in offensive and defensive efficiency on KenPom and is led by shifty guard Ja’Coby Gillespie and 6-foot-10 slugger Nate Ament, who scored 114 points in three games last week in Las Vegas. Syracuse will have to solve that puzzle to have a chance in this one.

The Orange’s offense is a work in progress, but leaning on pick-and-roll action – one of their biggest strengths according to Synergy Sports data – will help. — medcalf

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7:30 pm ET | espn

Florida’s quest for back-to-back national championships hit some early speed bumps, losing to Arizona in the season opener and suffering an upset at the hands of TCU on Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Duke is 8-0 after defeating ranked Arkansas last week.

For Duke, Cameron Boozer will continue his incredible production against Florida’s elite frontcourt. His worst games have come against length — “worst” was 15 points and 12 rebounds against Texas, then 18 and 11 against Kansas — and the Gators can throw a lot of size at him. Florida, on the other hand, will have to take care of the ball. The Gators’ portal backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xavion Lee hasn’t hit their stride yet, but they can’t cough it up and let Duke get out and score in transition; According to CBB Analytics, the Blue Devils score approximately 18 fast-break points per game. — Borzello

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9:30 PM ET | espn

In mid-November matchups against No. 6 Louisville and No. 7 Michigan State, Kentucky surrendered 179 combined points. North Carolina is also coming off a lopsided loss to Michigan in its last appearance on the big stage.

Both of these teams excel offensively and defensively inside the 3-point line, but the Wildcats will need Malachi Moreno (1.1 bpg) and Co. to stop the Tar Heels’ star freshman Caleb Wilson (19.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg) when he attacks – according to Synergy Sports data, the projected NBA draft lottery pick made 68% of his shots around the rim Are. — medcalf

wednesday games to watch

7:15 PM ET | espn

How a trio of projected first-round NBA draft picks – Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. (sixth), as well as Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. (14th) and Melek Thomas (27th) – choose – will decide the game. They do not have many weaknesses, but they will have to play according to their strengths to lead their respective teams to victory.

For Brown and Thomas, that means not forcing perimeter shots. Brown occasionally passes up easy drives to the rim for 3s (30.6%) while Thomas sometimes takes the same shot (34.5%) instead of relying on his explosiveness in the lane. And Acuff has been fantastic but didn’t make enough efforts to make many shots around the rim in the second half of last week’s loss to Duke. He needs to get off to a fast start after missing five of his first six shots against the Blue Devils. — medcalf

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7:15 PM ET | espnu

Alabama has played one of the toughest schedules in the country, with wins over No. 14 Illinois and No. 23 St. John’s, while suffering losses to No. 1 Purdue and No. 11 Gonzaga. But the Crimson Tide have been firing on all cylinders offensively, scoring a combined 220 points in their last two Players Era games. Meanwhile, Clemson looks to move up another notch on its schedule next Tuesday with a showdown against BYU at Madison Square Garden.

Pace will play a key role in this, as Alabama likes to push the ball up the floor and bring some chaos to the game, while Clemson will prefer a half-court game without many turnovers. It’s hard to see the Tigers having what it takes to keep up with Nate Oats’ team, especially with the way LaBron Philon Jr. and Aidan Holloway are playing. — Borzello

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9:15 PM ET | espn

Both teams entered the field for the famed Feast Week tournament, with Auburn having the better time of the two. The Tigers, like every Wolverines opponent, were destroyed by Michigan en route to winning the Players Era Championship last week, but the Tigers posted double-digit wins over Oregon and St. John’s while in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, NC State suffered a surprising quarterfinal loss to Seton Hall at the Maui Invitational and gave up 102 points in a loss to Texas.

It’s easy to claim that Will Wade’s team needs this win more than Steven Pearl’s group. At this point in the season, both offenses are ahead of their defense, which should make for a fun affair. The one-on-one matchup between Darrion Williams and Keyshawn Hall is just as good, while the difference will be whether Tahadh Pettiford’s early-season slump is a thing of the past. He had a great performance in Las Vegas, averaging 22.3 points over three games and shooting 7 of 14 from 3 in his last two games. — Borzello