The ACC/SEC Challenge returns in 2025, and the matchups for this year’s inter-conference showdown were unveiled Thursday. Clemson basketball may have drawn the toughest assignment of any ACC team.
The SEC boasts powerhouses like Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Auburn, and Arkansas—but one team, in particular, stands out as a dark horse national title contender for the 2025–26 season.
That team just happens to be Clemson’s opponent in the Challenge.
That’s right — Clemson is headed to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama in this year’s ACC/SEC Challenge. The Crimson Tide return a strong core of talent and welcome a highly regarded recruiting class. With Nate Oats, one of the top coaches in the nation, at the helm and Coleman Coliseum sure to be electric, this will be no easy task for the Tigers.
Last season, Clemson hosted Kentucky in a thriller, holding off one of the country’s premier programs for a 70–66 win. The year before, the Tigers took down South Carolina, making this upcoming game a chance for Clemson to notch a third straight victory in the Challenge.
But unlike the past two matchups, this time Brad Brownell’s squad — filled with key transfers — will have to get it done on the road.
Despite the stakes and the quality of both teams, some outlets don’t seem to be giving this game the credit it deserves. CBS Sports, for example, ranked Alabama vs. Clemson just No. 8 out of the 16 matchups — behind games like NC State vs. Auburn and SMU vs. Vanderbilt. That level of disrespect is hard to ignore.
Once again, Clemson will have to go out and earn its respect.
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