Kentucky, Clemson Women’s Basketball to Play SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 3 at Rupp Arena
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team will play host to Clemson on Thursday, Dec. 3 at Rupp Arena in Central Bank Center as part of the fourth-annual Southeastern Conference/Atlantic Coast Conference Challenge.
The two programs have some familiarity, with Tigers’ head coach Shawn Poppie recently spending six seasons as an assistant and associate head coach under Kenny Brooks at Virginia Tech from 2016-21.
Kentucky and Clemson will be meeting for just the second time in program history, and the first time since the turn of the millennium.
The Wildcats trail the all-time series with the Tigers, 0-1. Their lone meeting came more than two decades ago on Nov. 26, 1999, in the Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wildcats dropped to the Tigers, 70-65, on the neutral floor.
The tip time and network designation for this season’s matchup will be announced at a later date.
Fans interested in new season tickets can now place a deposit – at no cost – to secure their spot in line for women’s basketball’s home campaign, including games at Rupp Arena, in 2026-27. Fans who had season tickets last season will be contacted about the renewal period this summer.
The Wildcats are hosting the SEC/ACC Challenge for the first time in three seasons after being sent on the road in Brooks’ first two seasons in the Bluegrass. The Cats have a 2-1 record in SEC/ACC Challenges, defeating Boston College at home (Clive M. Beck Center) in 2023-24 before falling at ranked-North Carolina in Carmichael Arena in 2024-25. The Cats defeated Miami, 64-48, in Coral Gables, Florida, last season.
UK has released three game announcements thus far this season – all against ACC programs.
Kentucky announced earlier this week it will play host to Louisville at Rupp Arena on Dec. 9. It also was previously released that Kentucky will play NC State in the 2026 Ally Tipoff in the fall, while the date, time and TV designation will come soon. Fans can sign up for pre-sale information on that contest by clicking here.
The team is due back to campus later this month before summer workouts start up in late June.
The remainder of the 2026-27 Kentucky women’s basketball schedule will be released at a later date.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
