Not everyone is excited about Alabama vs. Clemson in ACC/SEC Challenge
Not everyone is excited about Alabama vs. Clemson in ACC/SEC Challenge
It should be @patkelsey and @LouisvilleMBB coming to Tuscaloosa for the first time in 25 years instead of a third year of @ClemsonMBB on the schedule in some fashion. Louisville is the better matchup but whatever. — Morgan Crabtree (@mcrabtree_KY) June 12, 2025
Alabama and Clemson will face off again in 2025.
No, not in football. The Crimson Tide and Tigers still haven't met on the gridiron since Clemson's 44-16 bludgeoning of Alabama in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
On the basketball court, though, the two schools will meet for the third time in two years during the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge. It was announced last week that Clemson will visit Coleman Coliseum as part of this year's annual event, marking the Tigers' second trip to Tuscaloosa since November 2023.
Alabama lost that November game to the Tigers, 85-77, but won a rematch four months later in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles when it mattered most. The Crimson Tide hit 16 3-pointers with Mark Sears scoring 23 points to lead Alabama to its first ever Final Four.
Last season, Alabama reached the Sweet 16 again for the fourth time in five years under Nate Oats. Clemson made the NCAA Tournament under veteran coach Brad Brownell again, too, but the Tigers fell in a first-round upset to No. 12 seed McNeese State.
There should probably be more hype for Alabama vs. Clemson, given that both programs have been on the rise under their respective head coaches.
But a few Alabama fans took to social media to do some grumbling when Clemson was revealed as the Crimson Tide's opponent for the ACC/SEC Challenge. One user wrote:
"Of all the games to give us," another user complained.
The fans aren't the only ones who seem to lack some excitement for this game.
CBS Sports' David Cobb recently ranked all 16 matchups for the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge. Alabama vs. Clemson was squarely in the middle at No. 8, in large part due to the Tigers having lost every starter from its 27-win team a season ago that went 18-2 in the ACC and upset No. 2 Duke.
Cobb predicted Alabama to beat Clemson and said of the matchup:
"Alabama lost Mark Sears but still has ample backcourt talent, headlined by sophomore star Labaron Philon and a much-improved Aden Holoway. Clemson has established itself as one of the ACC's steadiest programs under Brad Brownell. But that steadiness will be tested amid a significant roster overhaul that leaves the Tigers relying heavily on a transfer class that does not appear overwhelmingly talented."
Florida vs Duke was ranked by CBS Sports as the best matchup from this year's ACC/SEC Challenge schedule. The defending national champion Gators will face the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium in a battle of two Final Four participants this past season.
ACC/SEC Challenge matchup games ranked from best to worst
1. Florida at Duke
2. Louisville at Arkansas
3. North Carolina at Kentucky
4. NC State at Auburn
5. Missouri at Notre Dame
6. Tennessee at Syracuse
7. SMU at Vanderbilt
8. Alabama at Clemson
9. Virginia at Texas
10. Oklahoma at Wake Forest
11. Miami at Ole Miss
12. Texas A&M at Pitt
13. Mississippi State at Georgia Tech
14. Georgia at Florida State
15. LSU at Boston College
16. Virginia Tech at South Carolina
Dates and start times have not been announced for this year's ACC/SEC Challenge.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinion.
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