Report: 2026 Jimmy V Classic at MSG will feature Duke vs. Georgia, Alabama vs. Houston

Next season’s Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden will feature some serious star power with Alabama, Duke, Georgia and Houston slated to participate, according to College Hoops Today’s Jon Rothstein. The Blue Devils will reportedly face off against the Bulldogs in an ACC-SEC showdown, while the Crimson Tide will take on the Cougars in a SEC-Big 12 matchup, per Rothstein.

There is no formal date for the event or tip-off times yet, but the Jimmy V Classic is traditionally held in early December during non-conference play. Last year’s Jimmy V Classic was held Dec. 9, and featured Clemson vs. BYU and UConn vs. Florida. The Huskies knocked off the defending champion Gators, 77-73, in the nightcap, while BYU edged out Clemson, 67-64, inside New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

The Jimmy V Classic — which honors the late Jim Valvano and raises money for the V Foundation for cancer research — is organized by ESPN and has been running since 1995. Valvano, who led NC State to the 1983 NCAA national title, passed away in 1993 after a difficult cancer battle. Valvano’s passing was preceded by a memorable and inspirational speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards where he challenged the audience to do three things every day — laugh, think and cry.

“Think about it: of you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special,” Valvano famously said at the 1993 ESPYs.

This upcoming season will be Duke’s fifth appearance in the event, the last coming in 2022. Alabama has one previous Classic appearance in 2001, while Georgia and Houston will both be first-time participants.

The Blue Devils are 4-0 all-time in the Jimmy V Classic, including a pair of wins over Kentucky, while the Crimson Tide won its only other appearance with a 70-67 victory over Temple in 2001.

Alabama holds a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series with Houston, and has won the last three straight, most recently an 85-80 victory in a 2024 non-conference neutral-site game in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, Duke and Georgia are tied at 2-2 in their all-time series, though the most-recent matchup was a 43-32 Bulldogs victory way back in 1932.