Alabama Learns SEC/ACC Challenge Opponent

Nate Oats and the Alabama men's basketball team have learned their opponent for the annual SEC/ACC non-conference matchups. It's the third year of the SEC/ACC Challenge between two of the premier conferences in college basketball.

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According to a post by Jon Rothstein on X, Alabama will host the Clemson Tigers in the SEC/ACC Challenge. It's the second time the Tide and the Tigers have matched up on the hardwood in the SEC/ACC Challenge.

During the 2023-24 men's basketball season, Alabama played host to Clemson in the first year of the challenge. The Tigers got the better of the Crimson Tide in Coleman Coliseum, downing Alabama 85-77 to hand the Tide its second loss of the 2023-24 men's basketball season.

Alabama Made History in Latest Bout with Clemson

Alabama got the last laugh over the Tigers, however. Alabama and Clemson rematched in the Elite Eight in Los Angeles, California, for a chance to go to the Final Four. Alabama got the job done in Los Angeles, defeating Clemson 89-82 to advance to the first-ever Final Four in Alabama men's basketball history. The Tide would later lose to the UConn Huskies in the Final Four to end their season.

In the last matchup between Alabama and Clemson, Mark Sears led the Tide in scoring with 23 points while making seven of his 14 attempted three-point shots in the game. Jarin Stevenson was the second-leading scorer for the Tide with 19 points, and Nick Pringle had 16 for Alabama. For Clemson, the Tigers were led by Joseph Girard III, who had 19 points. Ian Schieffelin was second on the Tigers with 18 points.

As is the nature in college basketball, both teams have drastically changed from two seasons ago. Mark Sears and Grant Nelson used up all their college eligibility, paving the way for new stars in the 2025-26 men's basketball season. For Clemson, Girard's one-year tenure with the Tigers is a distant memory, and Schieffelin used all of his college basketball eligibility in the 2024-25 men's basketball season, opting to use his final year of college to pursue football with Clemson. He is now listed as a tight end with Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers football team.

The full matchups for the SEC/ACC Challenge:

Florida at Duke
UNC at Kentucky
Virginia at Texas
NC 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 at Ole Miss
LSU at Boston College
Virginia Tech at South Carolina
Tennessee at Syracuse
Missouri at Notre Dame
Georgia at Florida State

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.