Hannah Hidalgo and Mikayla Blakes will face off in the 2026 SEC/ACC Women's Basketball Challenge, as Notre Dame and Vanderbilt meet in a rematch of their Sweet 16 battle. There are a handful of other matches that shouldn't be overlooked as the ACC tries to bounce back from a rough performance in 2025.
A total of 16 games will be played on December 2 and 3 as part of the annual challenge. All games will air across ESPN networks and the specific times will be announced at a later date.
The SEC dominated last season by winning 13 of 16 games as only Virginia Tech, SMU and Syracuse pulled through for the ACC. If you need to refresh your memory, here is a recap of last year's challenge.
This will be Hidalgo's senior season, so chances are she will turn up the intensity even more to make sure Notre Dame represents the ACC conference well. North Carolina could also be doing better with the addition of Kate Harpring, the No. 1 player of the class of 2026. She will have to adjust quickly as the Tar Heels have a date with LSU in December. Duke is another ACC team that we can't overlook, but Kara Lawson's squad will have a tough test against South Carolina, the 2026 national champion runner-up and one of the early favorites to win it all in 2027.
Without further ado, here are the top five games and the full schedule for the 2026 SEC/ACC Women's Challenge:
5. NC State at Ole Miss
Wes Moore and Yolett McPhee-McCuin are two of the best coaches in the game and this should be a great test for both of their teams. Their last encounter was in December 2024 when the Wolfpack picked up a 68-61 victory. NC State guard Zoe Brooks led all scorers with 19 points in that win, but a lot has changed since then. Brooks is entering her senior season and both teams look significantly different -- especially Ole Miss, which has 10 new incoming players. NC State is coming off a bit of a down year after not having any seniors on the roster, but one more year of experience should make a difference, especially with the return of leading scorers Khamil Pierre and Brooks. The Rebels will have to build chemistry fast, but the team has some exciting additions, including former Tennessee star Talaysia Cooper and former LSU guard Jada Richard.
4. LSU at North Carolina
Both teams are coming off Sweet 16 appearances and are expected to be competitive again this upcoming season. The Tigers are 3-0 in their all-time series against North Carolina, but they haven't met since 2006, when neither Courtney Banghart nor Kim Mulkey were coaching their current programs. This should be a great opportunity to watch how Kate Harpring is adjusting to college basketball as the top incoming freshman in the nation. Another notable newcomer for the Tar Heels includes Achol Akot from Oklahoma State. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see LSU without Flau'jae Johnson, but top returners include Mikaylah Williams and walking highlight reel MiLaysia Fulwiley. The Tigers are also getting a boost with incoming players such as Jada Williams, who was the second-leading scorer at Iowa State last season.
I talked to Kate Harpring at OT Select this summer. She already has high expectations for her time at North Carolina: “Obviously winning the national championship would be the main goal…But just to be the best player I can be. Try to be one of the best in college basketball.” pic.twitter.com/i8dOtEqnPv
— Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) November 19, 2025
3. South Carolina at Duke
Duke was still figuring things out when they took an 83-66 loss to South Carolina last November at the Players Era tournament. However, the Blue Devils went on a 17-game winning streak not long after and eventually made it to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament. They return their leading scorer, Toby Fournier, who will be joined by Texas transfer Aaliyah Crump, 247Sports' No. 5 player in the class of 2025. Including this past season, the Gamecocks have made the championship game in four of the last five years and they are looking dangerous once again. Dawn Staley returns Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson, as well as Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins, who missed the 2025-26 campaign. South Carolina also got a boost with the addition of former Texas guard Jordan Lee, as well as some of the top incoming freshman, Jerzy Robinson and Oliviyah Edwards, who was previously committed to Tennessee.
2. Louisville at Texas
Jeff Walz and Vic Schaefer are two of the most decorated -- and fiery -- coaches in women's basketball, so make sure you circle this one on your calendar. Louisville is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance and returns three of its four leading scorers. The Cardinals are also adding NC State transfer Zamareya Jones and former Tennessee guard Deniya Prawl, who has a lot of potential left to unlock as the No. 6 player of the class of 2025. Texas is fresh off its second consecutive Final Four. The Longhorns no longer have veteran point guard Rori Harmon, but Madison Booker will be joined by one of the top incoming freshman classes in the nation that includes Addison Bjorn, Isi Etute, Bri Crittendon and Aaliah Spaight -- all in the top 20 of 247Sports' class of 2026 rankings.
1. Notre Dame at Vanderbilt
Any matchup featuring Hannah Hidalgo and Mikayla Blakes is must-watch television, and this will be a rematch of the thrilling 67-64 win that sent Notre Dame to the Elite Eight. Hidalgo lifted the Fighting Irish to victory with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and seven assists, leaving her just three assists shy of a quadruple-double. Although Notre Dame will have a virtually new roster this coming season, coach Niele Ivey has the opportunity to build a successful team around Hidalgo. Meanwhile, Shea Ralph's Vanderbilt is expected to be dangerous once again with the return of Blakes, who led the nation in scoring last season, and her costar Aubrey Galvan.
y'all already know she's disruptive! Hannah continues to capitalize 📺 ESPN#GoIrish // @MarchMadnessWBB pic.twitter.com/TiydjQcena
— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) March 27, 2026
Full schedule for 2026 SEC/ACC Women's Challenge:
Wednesday, December 2
LSU at North Carolina Louisville at Texas Miami at Florida Georgia at SMU NC State at Ole Miss Stanford at Auburn
Thursday, December 3
South Carolina at Duke Notre Dame at Vanderbilt Tennessee at Virginia Tech Clemson at Kentucky Oklahoma at Syracuse Wake Forest at Arkansas Missouri at Florida State Texas A&M at California Georgia Tech at Alabama Virginia at Mississippi State
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