Last year, SEC basketball teams blitzed the ACC in their annual conference challenge. Alabama Basketball blew out North Carolina, winning by a 94-79 score. In the 16-game challenge, the SEC dominated with a 14-2 record.
This year, the ACC fared much better. The SEC still came out on top, but only by two wins, to finish 9-7. Even before all 16 games were played, national pundits began crowing about SEC basketball being way down for the 2025-26 season. While the ACC did improve, a close look shows that four of the SEC losses were by three or fewer points.