# Kentucky to Travel to Virginia for SEC/ACC Challenge **Published:** 2026-06-05T14:30:39.000Z **Source:** [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/06/05/kentucky-will-travel-to-virginia-for-sec-acc-challenge/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-to-travel-to-virginia-for-sec-acc-challenge LEXINGTON, Ky. — [The Kentucky men's basketball program will travel to Virginia on Dec. 2 as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/06/05/kentucky-will-travel-to-virginia-for-sec-acc-challenge/), the leagues announced on June 5. A TV designation and tip time will be announced at a later date. The matchup at [John Paul Jones Arena](https://virginiasports.com) marks the first time the programs will meet on the court 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](https://www.wtvq.com/kentucky-basketball-to-face-virginia-in-2026-27-sec-acc-challenge-on-dec-2/). Kentucky has not played in Charlottesville since the 1965-66 season. Kentucky leads the all-time series with the Cavaliers 6-3. The Wildcats have faced a different Atlantic Coast Conference program in each of the challenge's four years, having previously hosted Miami, traveled to Clemson, and hosted North Carolina. Virginia is coming off a successful debut season under [first-year head coach Ryan Odom](https://virginiasports.com/sports/mbball/roster/season/2025-26/staff/ryan-odom). [The Cavaliers finished 30-6 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament](https://www.aseaofblue.com/kentucky-wildcats-basketball/173780/virginia-acc-sec-challenge-games-matchups-2026/) after advancing to the ACC Tournament championship game. [Thijs De Ridder, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, returns to headline Virginia's roster, having averaged a team-high 15.6 points per game and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/06/05/kentucky-will-travel-to-virginia-for-sec-acc-challenge/). [Odom's 30 victories this year mark the most wins in program history for a first-year head coach](https://www.si.com/college/virginia/basketball/ryan-odom-reflects-on-first-season-with-virginia-cavaliers-01kme5gzmb8a), surpassing the previous record set by Jeff Jones in the 1990-91 campaign. [Odom, who became the 13th head coach in the program's history, spent two seasons at VCU from 2023-25, leading the Rams to a 52-21 record and an appearance in the 2025 NCAA Tournament](https://virginiasports.com/sports/mbball/roster/season/2025-26/staff/ryan-odom). With the road matchup against Virginia, Kentucky is now set to take on three ACC opponents in 2026-27, also hosting Louisville on Dec. 12 and playing North Carolina in the [CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 19 in New York](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/cbs-sports-classic/). ## Sources - [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/06/05/kentucky-will-travel-to-virginia-for-sec-acc-challenge/) - [Virginia Cavaliers official athletics site - Ryan Odom profile](https://virgiriasports.com/sports/mbball/roster/season/2025-26/staff/ryan-odom) - [A Sea of Blue coverage of the SEC/ACC Challenge matchup](https://www.aseaofblue.com/kentucky-wildcats-basketball/173780/virginia-acc-sec-challenge-games-matchups-2026/) - [WTVQ coverage of Kentucky-Virginia matchup](https://www.wtvq.com/kentucky-basketball-to-face-virginia-in-2026-27-sec-acc-challenge-on-dec-2/) - [SI.com article on Ryan Odom's first season at Virginia](https://www.si.com/college/virginia/basketball/ryan-odom-reflects-on-first-season-with-virginia-cavaliers-01kme5gzmb8a) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from UK Athletics, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/06/05/kentucky-will-travel-to-virginia-for-sec-acc-challenge/.