Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami Coach Jai Lucas Draws Difficult Road Matchup in ACC vs SEC Challenge

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andy Patton | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 8:47 PM ET

The matchups for the annual men's basketball ACC vs. SEC challenge were revealed by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports on Wednesday, giving Miami basketball fans a look at who new head coach Jai Lucas and his club will line up against in the non-conference slate.

Miami is set to face Chris Beard and Ole Miss on the road in Oxford, according to Rothstein. Dates and times for these matchups are currently to be determined.

The ACC vs. SEC challenge began in 2023 when the two conferences split the 14 games evenly, each earning seven wins and seven losses.

That evenness was short lived, however, as the SEC throttled the ACC last year, going 14-2 overall with the only wins for the ACC by Duke and Clemson over Auburn and Kentucky, respectively.

NEWS: Matchups are set for the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge, per sources.

UF @ Duke
UNC @ UK
UVA @ Texas
NC St @ Auburn
Clemson @ Bama
LVille @ Ark
OU @ Wake
SMU @ Vandy
A&M @ Pitt
Miss St @ GT
Miami @ Ole Miss
LSU @ BC
VT@SC
Tenn @ Cuse
Mizzou @ ND
UGA @ FSUhttps://t.co/SYoZLlz1Fd
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 11, 2025

Miami fought valiantly in a loss at home to Arkansas, 76-73, in a game they were winning 40-32 at halftime. Nijel Pack led all scorers with 22 points, while Matthew Cleveland added 15 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.

The 'Canes are a completely new look team heading into the matchup with Ole Miss, however, after coach Jim Larranaga retired just after Christmas and was replaced in early March by Duke assistant Jai Lucas.

Lucas brought in a highly decorated transfer portal class, which includes Indiana forward Malik Reneau, Michigan guard Tre Donaldson, TCU big man Ernest Udeh, and New Mexico wing Tru Washington. Lucas also flipped five-star forward Shelton Henderson, taking him from a Duke commitment and bringing him to Coral Gables.

This road tilt against Ole Miss will represent one of the first big tests for coach Lucas on the sideline, as coach Beard's team earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Like Miami, Ole Miss is undergoing a significant rebuild as well, reloading with transfer portal additions including a pair from Louisville in James Scott and Koren Johnson, as well as AJ Storr from Kansas, Travis Perry from Kentucky, and Corey Chest from LSU.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: