Kentucky will play North Carolina in 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge

Kentucky‘s non-conference schedule was already among the toughest in college basketball in 2025-26 — and it just got tougher with one of the biggest brands in the history of the sport now coming to Rupp Arena. 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge matchups are rolling out, and the Wildcats are set to host Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels in Lexington.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports broke the news on Wednesday — along with the other head-to-head battles in the ACC/SEC Challenge, including Florida at Duke, Clemson at Alabama, NC State at Auburn and Louisville at Arkansas.

Take a look at the full schedule with an official announcement from the leagues expected soon.

• Florida at Duke
• North Carolina at Kentucky
• Virginia at Texas
• North Carolina State at Auburn
• Clemson at Alabama
• Louisville at Arkansas
• Oklahoma at Wake Forest
• SMU at Vanderbilt
• Texas A&M at Pittsburgh
• Mississippi State at Georgia Tech
• Miami (FL) at Ole Miss
• LSU at Boston College
• Virginia Tech at South Carolina
• Tennessee at Syracuse
• Missouri at Notre Dame
• Georgia at Florida State

Official dates and times have not yet been finalized, but last year’s series took place on December 3 and 4. Kentucky traveled to Clemson and lost to the Tigers 70-66 in that one — the Wildcats shooting just 38.1 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from three in their first loss of the season.

The year before, Kentucky defeated Miami (FL) 95-73 inside Rupp Arena in the inaugural event on November 28. It replaced the Big 12/SEC Challenge, which ran from 2013-23.

The Wildcats are 12-9 in the all-time series — including a 5-2 record in Lexington. Kentucky currently holds a two-game winning streak over North Carolina, earning a 98-69 win in Las Vegas back in 2021, followed by an 87-83 victory in Atlanta in 2023. Those matchups came in the CBS Sports Classic.

It’s all about the brands in this one, but don’t underestimate the Caleb Wilson storyline, either. The five-star, top-five recruit in 2025 committed to UNC over UK in a back-and-forth recruitment that ended in late January. The Wildcats were the perceived leaders to earn his signature until the Tar Heels ramped up their efforts to steal him late — a brutal loss for Kentucky at the time. Now, it’s a shot at revenge with Pope assembling a roster far more talented and deeper than Hubert Davis’ group in Chapel Hill, despite costing him $14 million.

At minimum, you won’t find a non-conference schedule with more name-brand foes than Kentucky’s in 2025-26. Take a look:

Kentucky’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule (as we know it)

• Oct. 24 (Fri.): vs. Purdue | Rupp Arena (Exhibition)
• Oct. 30 (Thu.): vs. Georgetown | Rupp Arena (Exhibition)
• Nov. 11 (Tue.): vs. Louisville | Louisville
• Nov. 18 (Tue.): vs. Michigan State | Champions Classic | Madison Square Garden (New York)
• Nov. 21 (Fri.): vs. Loyola University Maryland | Rupp Arena
• Nov. 26 (Wed.): vs. Tennessee Tech | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 5 (Fri.): vs. Gonzaga | Bridgestone Arena (Nashville)
• Dec. 9 (Tue.): vs. NC Central | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 13 (Sat.): vs. Indiana | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 20 (Sat.): vs. St. John’s | CBS Sports Classic | State Farm Arena (Atlanta)
• Dec. 23 (Tue.): vs. Bellarmine | Rupp Arena
• TBD: North Carolina | SEC/ACC Challenge | Rupp Arena