LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — The Kentucky men's basketball program will travel to Virginia on Dec. 2 as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge. A TV designation and tip time will be announced at a later date.
This marks the fourth installment of the event between the two conferences. Kentucky has faced a different Atlantic Coast Conference program in all four years of the challenge, UK Athletics reported. UK took on Miami at home in the inaugural edition of the event, then traveled to Clemson in 2024-25 and hosted North Carolina in 2025-26.
Kentucky leads the all-time series with the Cavaliers 6-3. The matchup will mark the first time the programs have met since the 2002-03 season at the Maui Invitational, when Virginia snapped a six-game winning streak by the Wildcats with a 75-61 win. Kentucky has not played in Charlottesville since the 1966-67 season, according to UK Athletics.
Virginia is coming off a 30-6 season under first-year head coach Ryan Odom, a release from UK read. The Cavaliers reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament after advancing to the championship game of the ACC Tournament. Thijs De Ridder, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, returns to headline Virginia's roster. He averaged a team-high 15.6 points per game and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game.
With the road matchup against Virginia, Kentucky is now set to face 3 ACC opponents in 2026-27. UK is also slated to host Louisville on Dec. 12 and will play North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 19 in New York.
