Report: Virginia Basketball Set To Face Kentucky In SEC/ACC Challenge

The Cavaliers building quite the non conference schedule

Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Virginia Cavaliers center Johann Grunloh (17) moves the ball to the basket against the SMU Mustangs during the first half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Virginia Basketball has been scheduling big non-conference games for the upcoming season and another one is reportedly on the way.

UVA is set to face a major blue blood in the annual SEC/ACC basketball challenge, per CBS Sports Jon Rothstein. 

NEWS: Matchups for the 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge are set, per sources.

Ark @ UNC
AU @ Clem
Duke @ UF
BC @ UGA
Wake @ LSU
Pitt @ Mizz
SU @ OU
OleMiss @ VT
SC@NCSt
FSU @ Tenn
Texas @ Lville
Bama @ Miami
UK @ UVA
GT @ MissSt
Stanford @ A&M
Vandy @ NDhttps://t.co/CH4tXkiAal

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 5, 2026

The Cavaliers will face the Kentucky Wildcats. 

This game has the potential to be one of the premier matchups of the challenge. It will be hard to find a better matchup than these two. The only one that rivals is Arkansas vs UNC. Kentucky is a blue blood in college basketball and is a consensus preseason top 25 team across rankings.

Virginia is another team that has been consistently ranked in the preseason top 25 for next season, being ranked as high as No.9. In the recent ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings, the Cavaliers were ranked No.14. This game has the potential to be a top 10 matchup. 

Virginia made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing to the Tennessee Volunteers. The Wildcats also fell in the second round of the tournament to Iowa State. Both will be looking to take a major step forward and go deeper in the expanded 76-team NCAA tournament in 2026-2027. 

Both teams already have one thing in common with late portal additions this week. Kentucky stole headlines by adding Iowa State F Milan Momcilovic. Virginia added a player on Thursday, former Loyola Marymount guard Jan Vide. Momcilovic brings a need for the Wildcats at the power forward spot and easily could be a starter. Vide gives the Cavaliers a much-needed wing player that can bring shooting and versatility to the lineup. 

Virginia is a team that returned the vast majority of its roster and the core of its starting lineup. Chance Mallory, Thijs De Ridder, Johann Grünloh, and Sam Lewis all returned. The Cavaliers made calculated moves and now have brought in four new additions from the portal. Head coach Ryan Odom emphasized continuity, growth, and development this offseason. 

Kentucky lost seven players to the portal, including Jasper Johnson, Denzel Aberdeen, and Mouhamed Dioubate. The Wildcats brought in six new players from the portal, with Zoom Diallo, Momcilovic and Franck Kepnang being some of the top additions. Kentucky will be a team with a lot of pressure on them after a disappointing 22-14 record and early tournament exit. 

The matchup is dynamite because, more than likely, it will be played on the national stage with a lot of eyes watching. Both teams can pick up a Quad 1 win in early December and add a quality win to their resumes. The Cavaliers are building quite the nonconference schedule. They already have UCONN (national runner-up), Maryland, Battle 4 Atlantis, and now Kentucky on the slate.

That type of schedule not only prepares you for conference play but also for a deeper run in the tournament. After a decent nonconference schedule, Odom has turned up the heat and scheduled a number of games that will test where his team is throughout various points of the season, a positive sign for the Cavaliers, who have big aspirations for the 2026-2027 season.