ACC/SEC Challenge guide: What to watch in Florida-Duke, UNC-Kentucky, more

The 2025 ACC/SEC Men's Challenge features a bevy of AP Top 25 men's college basketball teams in action.

Tuesday night's showdown between No. 4 Duke and No. 15 Florida will be the first of three ranked matchups over the two-day event, followed by No. 16 North Carolina at No. 18 Kentucky later that night then No. 6 Louisville at No. 25 Arkansas on Wednesday.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf preview six of the top games to watch over the next 48 hours below.

Tuesday games to watch

(13) Tennessee at Syracuse

7 p.m. ET | ESPN

Syracuse had arguably the toughest draw of the Players Era Festival, finishing 0-3 against No. 8 Houston, No. 21 Kansas and No. 10 Iowa State. This game won't be any easier. Tennessee is top-20 in offensive and defensive efficiency on KenPom and is led by shifty guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie and 6-foot-10 quagmire Nate Ament, who combined to score 114 points over last week's three games in Las Vegas. Syracuse will have to solve that riddle to have a chance in this one.

The Orange's offense is a work in progress but leaning on pick-and-roll action -- one of their greatest strengths, per Synergy Sports data -- would help. -- Medcalf

(15) Florida at (4) Duke

7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

Florida's quest for back-to-back national championships has hit a couple of early speed bumps, losing in the season opener to Arizona and suffering an upset at the hands of TCU on Thanksgiving. Duke, meanwhile, is 8-0 after beating a ranked Arkansas team last week.

For Duke, the key will be Cameron Boozer continuing his incredible production against Florida's elite frontcourt. His worst games have come against length -- "worst" being 15 points and 12 rebounds against Texas then 18 and 11 against Kansas -- and the Gators can throw plenty of size at him. On the other side, Florida has to take care of the ball. The Gators' portal backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee hasn't hit its stride yet, but they can't cough it up and let Duke get out and score in transition; the Blue Devils score nearly 18 fast-break points per game, per CBB Analytics. -- Borzello

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Cameron Boozer stuffs in a two-handed jam

Cameron Boozer drives to the paint and elevates for a strong dunk for Duke.

(16) North Carolina at (18) Kentucky

9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN

In mid-November matchups against No. 6 Louisville and No. 7 Michigan State, Kentucky surrendered 179 combined points. North Carolina is also coming off a lopsided loss to Michigan in its last showing on the big stage.

Both of these teams excel offensively and defensively inside the 3-point line, but the Wildcats will need Malachi Moreno (1.1 BPG) & Co. to stall Tar Heels star freshman Caleb Wilson (19.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG) when he attacks -- the projected NBA draft lottery pick has made 68% of his shots around the rim, per Synergy Sports data. -- Medcalf

Wednesday games to watch

(6) Louisville at (25) Arkansas

7:15 p.m. ET | ESPN

How the trio of projected first-round NBA draft picks -- Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. (sixth), plus Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. (14th) and Meleek Thomas (27th) -- will decide this game. They don't have many weaknesses, but they will have to play to their strengths to help their respective teams win.

For Brown and Thomas, that means not forcing perimeter shots. Brown sometimes passes up easy drives to the rim for 3s (30.6%) while Thomas occasionally forces the same shots (34.5%) rather than rely on his explosiveness in the lane. And Acuff has been brilliant but didn't do enough to get more shots around the rim in last week's loss to Duke until the second half. He'll have to get off to a faster start after missing five of his first six shots against the Blue Devils. -- Medcalf

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Mikel Brown Jr.'s best Plays vs. NJIT Highlanders

Mikel Brown Jr.'s best Plays vs. NJIT Highlanders

Clemson at (12) Alabama

7:15 p.m. ET | ESPNU

Alabama has played one of the most difficult schedules in the country, notching wins over No. 14 Illinois and No. 23 St. John's while suffering defeats to No. 1 Purdue and No. 11 Gonzaga. But the Crimson Tide are firing on all cylinders offensively, scoring a combined 220 points in their final two Players Era games. Clemson, meanwhile, is about to see its schedule kick up another notch with a date against BYU at Madison Square Garden next Tuesday.

Pace will play a key part in this one, as Alabama loves to push the ball up the floor and bring some chaos to the game, while Clemson would prefer to have a half-court game without many turnovers. It's hard to see the Tigers having the firepower to keep up with Nate Oats' team, especially with the way Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Holloway are playing. -- Borzello

NC State at (20) Auburn

9:15 p.m. ET | ESPN

Both teams hit the road for marquee Feast Week tournaments, with Auburn having the better time of the two. The Tigers were destroyed by Michigan like every one of the Wolverines' opponents en route to winning last week's Players Era championship, but the Tigers notched double-digit wins over Oregon and St. John's while in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, NC State suffered a surprising quarterfinal loss to Seton Hall at the Maui Invitational and gave up 102 points in a defeat to Texas.

It's easy to make the case that Will Wade's team needs this win more than Steven Pearl's group. At this point in the season, both offenses are ahead of their defenses, which should make for a fun affair. The head-to-head matchup between Darrion Williams and Keyshawn Hall is as good as it gets, while the difference will be whether Tahaad Pettiford's early-season slump is a thing of the past. He was terrific in Las Vegas, averaging 22.3 points over three games and going 7-for-14 from 3 in his past two games. -- Borzello