ESPN Unveils Prolific 2025-26 SEC Men’s Basketball Schedule, Beginning Nov. 3

ESPN and the SEC have announced the 2025-26 network designations with the men’s basketball season on the horizon. More than 200 linear games will air across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, SEC Network, ESPNU, ESPNews and the all new ESPN app. 

ESPN tips off its industry-leading coverage of the SEC men’s college basketball season on Monday, Nov. 3 with Southern at No. 12 Arkansas on SEC Network at 7 p.m. ET. The following day, Texas will face the 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils the inaugural Dick Vitale Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.

2025-26 SEC on ESPN Men’s College Basketball Schedule Highlights:

• Non-Conference Showdowns: The SEC men’s non-conference schedule features nearly a dozen ranked matchups and numerous tournaments, including the aforementioned Dick Vitale Invitational. Following the inaugural event, the top-ranked Purdue Boilermakers hit the road to face the 19th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. The game is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2 on Nov. 13. Continuing the momentum, ESPN is set to air The Battleground 2k25 on Nov. 16, which features two 2024-25 Final Four teams in No. 17Auburn and No. 3 Houston (3 p.m.). Two days later, the Champions Classic returns to Madison Square Garden as Michigan State takes on No. 9 Kentucky on ESPN (9 p.m.).
  • The slate continues strong through December with Gonzaga taking on Kentucky in a top-25 matchup on ESPN2 (Dec. 5, 7 p.m.), followed by the Music City Madness game on Dec. 6 featuring No. 16 Illinois vs. No. 18 Tennessee in Nashville (8 p.m., ESPN2). All eyes will be on the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 9 as the reigning national champion Florida Gators compete against the 2023 and 2024 national champion UConn Huskies on ESPN (9 p.m.).  
  • The non-conference season wraps up with four highly anticipated ranked matchups on Dec. 13 and 16. On Dec. 13, ESPN2 is home to the Revocruit Rematch in Dallas between No. 12 Arkansas and No. 11 Texas Tech at Noon. Later that night, ESPN is set for a doubleheader featuring three ranked teams – Indiana faces No. 9 Kentucky at 7:30 p.m., followed by No. 13 Arizona taking on No. 19Alabama in the C.M. Newton Classic at 9:30 p.m. On Dec. 16, No. 6 Louisville and No. 18 Tennessee on ESPN at 7 p.m.  
• ACC/SEC Challenge: The two-day men’s challenge will see four Top-25 matchups, including an ESPN doubleheader on Tue, Dec. 2, as reigning national champions Florida head to Cameron Arena to take on No. 10 Duke (7:30 p.m.), followed by No. 25 North Carolina heading to No. 9 Kentucky for a late-night clash (9:30 p.m.). Wednesday, features back-to-back ranked matchups on ESPN, when No. 6 Louisville travels to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks on ESPN (7 p.m.), followed by No. 24 NC State at No. 17 Auburn at 9 p.m. More details of the third annual ACC/SEC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Challenge are available here.
• SEC MBB on ABC: Beginning in February, ABC is set to air three SEC teams throughout the remainder of the regular season. No. 19 Alabama hits the road to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the No. 2 Gators to tip off the month. A rising power in men’s hoops, Alabama has made the Sweet 16 (2023), Elite Eight (2025) and Final Four (2024) in the past three seasons. Florida is the reigning national champion and enters the season as ESPN’s preseason No. 2-ranked team.
  • On Valentine’s Day, the Gators will once again be featured on ABC as the ninth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats come to town for a classic SEC rivalry. Head coach Mark Pope led the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 in his first season in Lexington, Ky., while Florida has a chance to win back-to-back titles for the second time in program history.
• Conference Rivalries: Throughout the ’25-’26 conference season, viewers can tune in every week for strong matchups each Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. Last season, the SEC got a record 14 teams into the NCAA Tournament, in turn creating a stellar conference slate this year. League play will feature 19 top-25 matchups, tipping off on Jan. 3 with No. 9 Kentucky at No. 19 Alabama on ESPN (noon). Following that bout is No. 18 Tennessee vs. No. 12 Arkansas on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. The competition continues to heat up throughout the spring, leading to the final weekend of regular season play “Rivalry Saturday” on March 7. The final day of play includes numerous traditional rivalries, such as Florida at Kentucky, Auburn at Alabama, Oklahoma at Texas, Vanderbilt at Tennessee and more. ESPN is home to two top matchups in the afternoon and evening windows, beginning when No. 2 Florida heads to Rupp Arena to face No. 9 Kentucky at 4 p.m. Later that night, in-state rivalry between No. 17 Auburn and No. 19 Alabama comes to a head in the final game of the season as the two top-20 teams face off at 8:30 p.m.

SEC on ESPN Networks 2025-26 Men’s College Basketball Schedule: