NASHVILLE, Tenn. — ESPN announced the matchups for the 2026 SEC/ACC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Challenges on Friday. The three-night event features 32 games pitting the premier conferences against one another on the hardwood.
Vanderbilt men’s and women’s basketball will both take on Notre Dame in the fourth edition of the SEC/ACC Challenge. The men travel to South Bend, Indiana, on Dec. 2, while the women will host the Fighting Irish at Memorial Gymnasium on Dec. 3.
Tipoff times and television assignments will be announced at a later date.
On the men’s side, the Commodores and Irish will meet for the first time since 2006 and just the 10th time in program history. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 5-4, while the Commodores are 2-2 in South Bend. The Dores are 2-0 in Challenge games under head coach Mark Byington, taking down SMU in Memorial Gymnasium last season and knocking off Virginia Tech on the road in 2024.
On the women’s side, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame meet for the second-straight season, after matching up in the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. It will be the seventh overall contest between the two schools. Vandy is 1-5 all-time against the Fighting Irish. The last game between the two schools took place during last season’s Sweet 16, where Notre Dame picked up a 67-64 win in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 27, 2026. It will be the third time Vandy will host Notre Dame at Memorial Gym, and the first since Dec. 30, 2008, when the Irish posted a 59-57 win over the Commodores.
Season tickets for the 2025-26 Vanderbilt men’s basketball and women’s basketball campaigns are on sale now. For more information on men’s and women’s hoops, tickets and upcoming events, visit VUCommodores.com.