By Jonathan Lidskin
For the second time ever, Tuesday and Wednesday will mark the ACC-SEC challenge. Last year, there were 14 matchups, and the two conferences both won seven apiece. This year, with conference expansion/realignment, there are now 16. Let’s look at some of this year’s most anticipated ones.
Auburn @ Duke:
The Tigers look the part of the #1 team in college basketball right now and boast the #1 offense. Bruce Pearl’s group won Maui and now they turn around and go on the road. Duke has lost a pair of close games that people have been very critical about, but the Blue Devils also have the #1 defense in the country. The game will also feature Johni Broome and Cooper Flagg who are the top two in the NPOTY race right now according to KenPom.
Alabama @ North Carolina:
Tobacco Road will be bumping on Wednesday night. This matchup features a little bit of a different narrative with both teams looking to bounce back after taking tough losses to finish their respective MTE’s. My biggest question for this is can UNC do enough to keep Alabama out of the lane?
Kentucky @ Clemson:
It might help that the ACC is hosting the three biggest matchups of this event. Clemson looked great in their MTE this past week knocking off San Francisco and Penn State. Kentucky is the deeper team here with a veteran group of players who have handled tough road environments before.
Pitt @ Miss State:
The Panthers have shocked everyone with how highly they’re ranked in KenPom right now. Miss State took a somewhat surprising loss to Butler, but both of these teams look like NCAA Tournament teams. The guard matchups between Jaland Lowe and Ish Leggett vs. Josh Hubbard and Claudell Harris are fascinating.
Other Matchups in the event:
South Carolina @ Boston College
Notre Dame @ Georgia
Cal @ Mizzou
Arkansas @ Miami
Syracuse @ Tennessee
Wake Forest @ Texas A&M
Florida State @ LSU
Georgia Tech @ Oklahoma
Ole Miss @ Louisville
Virginia @ Florida
Texas @ NC State
Vanderbilt @ Virginia Tech
Final Prediction: 11-5 SEC