5 things you need to know from Kentucky’s 67-64 loss vs. North Carolina
Five things you need to know from No. 18 Kentucky’s 67-64 loss vs. No. 16 North Carolina in the men’s college basketball ACC/SEC Challenge:
1. Caleb Wilson’s Rupp Arena reception. For at least part of his recruitment, Wilson, the North Carolina freshman star, was thought to be favoring Kentucky.
So it was a blow to the Big Blue Nation when the 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward ultimately chose to rock Carolina blue, not Kentucky blue.
Through seven games, Wilson had, arguably, been the best freshman in men’s college hoops, averaging 19.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and shooting 58.7%.
For UK backers, that has only made losing out in Wilson’s recruitment sting even more.
So when Wilson was introduced in the North Carolina starting lineup Tuesday night, Kentucky fans unleashed a vigorous booing, although it was only slightly louder than all the Tar Heels starters received.
Though Wilson did not shoot well (5 of 19) in what was a rock fight of a game, he nevertheless was the best player on the court. He finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal.
2. Cats done in by two flaws. Kentucky seized defeat from a winnable game with deficiencies in two areas.
North Carolina pounded Kentucky on the offensive glass.
The Tar Heels won the offensive rebounding 20-8 and the second-chance points 22-5.
UK was also done in by its errant shooting down the stretch.
Of its final 16 field-goal attempts of the game, Kentucky missed 14.
3. For Mark Pope, a worrisome trend. The second-year Kentucky coach won his first five games against foes ranked in the AP Top 25 and six of the first seven last season.
However, Pope came into the North Carolina contest having subsequently lost seven of UK’s nine most recent games against Top 25 foes, including this season’s 96-88 loss at then-No. 12 Louisville and the 83-66 defeat to Michigan State in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden.
With the defeat to North Carolina, it is now 0-3 this season for Kentucky against Top 25 opposition. Pope has now lost eight of the past 10 against ranked foes.
The Cats will bet another chance at a ranked win when they play No. 11 Gonzaga on Friday night in Nashville.
For Pope, getting back on top against a ranked opponent very much needs to happen lest an emerging narrative of struggle in big games solidifies.
4. Second-latest tip off ever for a UK game at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky-North Carolina game tipped off at 9:40 pm EST.
According to UK men’s basketball historian Jon Scott, that tied it as the second-latest tip off ever for a Kentucky game at Rupp Arena.
The three latest tip times for the Wildcats are Rupp are now:
• 9:45 p.m. for what became Kentucky’s 101-40 win over Tennessee in the 1993 SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
• 9:40 p.m. for what became Kentucky’s 72-67 victory over Louisville in the 1984 NCAA Tournament.
• 9:40 p.m. for what became Kentucky’s 67-64 loss vs. North Carolina in the 2025-26 ACC/SEC Challenge.
5. ACC/SEC Challenge tally. Tuesday was the opening night of the two-night 2025-26 ACC/SEC Challenge. This is the third season teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference have paired off in an early-season test of league strength.
Last season, the SEC throttled the ACC in the challenge, going 14-2.
Two years ago, the leagues fought to a 7-7 draw.
On Tuesday night, there were nine games.
SEC winners were: Texas A&M won at Pittsburgh 81-73; Oklahoma routed host Wake Forest 86-68; and Georgia went on the road and obliterated Florida State 107-83.
ACC winners were: Host Syracuse upset No. 13 Tennessee 62-60; visiting Virginia Tech beat South Carolina 86-83 in overtime; No. 4 Duke survived No. 15 Florida 67-66 at Cameron Indoor Arena; Miami won at Mississippi 75-66; host Notre Dame beat Missouri 76-71; and North Carolina defeated Kentucky at Rupp Arena 67-64.
That leaves the first-night count at 6-3 in favor of the ACC.
On Wednesday night, the ACC/SEC Challenge will conclude with No. 6 Louisville at No. 25 Arkansas; Clemson at No. 12 Alabama; LSU at Boston College; SMU at No. 17 Vanderbilt; North Carolina State at No. 20 Auburn; Virginia at Texas; and Mississippi State at Georgia Tech.
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 11:59 PM.
