Last week, the matchups were released for the 2025-26 ACC/SEC Challenge for both the men's and women's basketball teams. It'll be the third year of the series, and the Hokies men will once again get a matchup on the road.
After visiting Auburn in 2023-24, Mike Young's team hosted Vanderbilt this past season and former teammates Tyler Nickel and MJ Collins. The Hokies are 0-2 through the first two editions of the challenge, and once again, they'll hit the road next season, heading to South Carolina for a matchup with the Gamecocks for the third year in a row.
South Carolina beat Virginia Tech two years ago in Charlotte, then beat the Hokies in the semifinals of the Fort Myers Tip-Off last November. Now they'll play in December, and one college basketball writer slammed the matchup.
College basketball writer slams Virginia Tech/South Carolina ACC/SEC Challenge matchup
David Cobb of CBS Sports ranked all 16 matchups, and he slammed dunked on the Hokies/Gamecocks matchup by ranking the 16th-worst game of this upcoming season's series. There are only 16 games in the challenge.
"Assuming that 6-7 Greek wing Neoklis Avdalas withdraws from the NBA Draft and attends Virginia Tech, the Hokies could be on the upswing following a 13-19 season. Virginia Tech also has four players back who started 17 or more games last season. South Carolina is heavy on transfers again and will need double-boomerang guard Meechie Johnson, Jr. to shoulder a heavy load." Pick: Virginia Tech
At the time Cobb wrote the article, Neoklis Avdalas was still in the NBA Draft process. However, on Sunday, it was reported that he would withdraw, and if true to his word, he'll come to Virginia Tech for next season. That would be a huge addition to a team that certainly will be on an upward trend after finishing six games under .500 last season.
Look, is this a matchup that's going to bring a lot of eyeballs to the TV? No, and the game will likely be buried on the SEC Network with the game being in Columbia, but to say that LSU at Boston College or Georgia at Florida State brings more juice than Virginia Tech at South Carolina is certainly a take. Regardless, this must be a Hokies win if they are looking to take a giant step forward next season.