ACC/SEC Challenge could prove how competitive ACC can be this season on a national scale

Niagara v Duke | Grant Halverson/GettyImagesThe third annual ACC/SEC Challenge is set to take place on December 2nd and December 3rd, in what the ACC hopes is a much better result than a year ago. Granted, the 2024-25 SEC was potentially the greatest single-season conference in the history of college basketball, earning 14 bids to the NCAA Tournament, which was a record. However, the ACC as a whole wasn't just defeated in last year's event, but was absolutely embarrassed. Through the first month of the 2025-26 campaign, the ACC looks deeper than it has in any of the past five seasons. The conference hasn't gotten more than five of its teams into the big dance since 2021, but this early-season clash with the SEC could say a lot about where the ACC stands right now relative to other power conferences.

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