Heel Tough Blog: UNC Learns ACC/SEC Challenge Opponent
- Joshua Marlow
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Earlier today, the matchups for the third annual ACC/SEC Challenge were unveiled, and the Tar Heels find themselves facing a familiar foe, with whom they have plenty of history with, as it was announced that UNC will travel to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats. This is the first time the two blue blood programs will play a game on campus since the 2014-15 season, when UNC lost in Rupp Arena to a Kentucky team that started the season 38-0, before losing in the Final Four. Since then, they have played numerous times in the CBS Sports Classic and in the NCAA Tournament, but when they meet in a game on either program’s campus, college basketball benefits.
This is the first time Carolina will play on the road in the ACC/SEC Challenge, after back-to-back home games to begin the event. Two years ago, Carolina took down Tennessee in a high-scoring affair, which vaulted UNC into national contention. Last year, Carolina lost at home to Alabama, in a rematch from the NCAA Tournament, in one of the many non-conference losses to power conference competition in what became a disappointing season for Carolina.
When the two teams meet, it’ll be a matchup of two of the highest-paid rosters in the sport, with UNC’s roster costing nearly $14 million dollars. While that number is high, it’s not the highest between the two programs, as it’s believed that Kentucky has spent $20 million dollars on their roster for 2025-26, after Mark Pope took the program to the Sweet 16 in his first season on the job.
Carolina has yet to release their non-conference schedule for next season, but it is believed to be the final marquee game of the non-ACC slate. The road game at Kentucky is added to a schedule that includes home dates with Kansas and Georgetown, neutral-site contests with Michigan State and Ohio State from the Big 10. While that slate isn’t as daunting as the one they faced last year, it offers a nice blend of games between NCAA Tournament teams and mid-major competition that should allow a roster comprised of nine new players time to gel before the ACC season.
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