Despite wins by the ACC’s marquee programs, the Big Ten collected its second consecutive victory overall in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge with an 8-6 mark. The slate of games pit some of the best teams in the nation against each other and brought some of the most games of the young season.
No. 8 Duke 94, Indiana 74
The Blue Devils capitalized on numerous defensive breakdowns by the Hoosiers and came away with a commanding home victory. Freshman forward Brandon Ingram flashed his immense potential with a game-high 24 points and eight of Duke’s first 10 points. Duke also got eight assists from senior Amile Jefferson and a career-high 23 points from guard Matt Jones. The Blue Devils dominated the glass on both ends of the court and also posted a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio in a complete team victory.
No. 3 North Carolina 89, No. 6 Maryland 81
In a matchup of two potential title contenders, North Carolina built an early 13-point lead and thwarted the Terrapins comeback attempts for a key non-conference victory. The game marked the return of senior Marcus Paige, who missed the previous six weeks with a broken hand. The guard came out firing and finished with 20 points, making four of his five threes, and racked up five assists. For Maryland, guard Melo Trimble led the way and had 23 points and 12 assists.
No. 1 Michigan State 71, No. 22 Louisville 67
After finishing with a triple-double in a Champions Classic victory against Kansas, senior guard Denzel Valentine continued his campaign for Player of the Year honors with 25 points, five rebounds, seven assists and one steal to keep the Spartans unbeaten this season. Despite being down by as many as 13, Valentine scored 11 points in the last five minutes and Eron Harris contributed another 20 points as Michigan State found a way to win despite trailing for much of the contest. With the victory, the Spartans moved to 8-0 and catapulted to the top spot in this week's AP Poll.
No. 10 Virginia 64, Ohio State 58
The Cavaliers demonstrated their experience and defensive prowess against Ohio State to come away with a hard-fought road victory. Malcolm Brogdon led Virginia with 22 points and Darius Thompson contributed another 12 points in relief of starter London Perrantes, who did not play due to an appendectomy. The victory was the Cavaliers fifth win in a row, while the Buckeyes have now dropped fourth straight and are in the midst of one of their worst seasons in recent memory.
No. 17 Miami 77, Nebraska 72
Although both teams are more known for their success on the gridiron, the Hurricanes and the Cornhuskers squared off in an overtime matchup that was up for grabs till the final minute of the game. Trailing 70-68, a 3-pointer from guard Davon Reed gave Miami a lead it would not relinquish. The Hurricanes proceeded to ice the game at the foul line and seal the victory. Perhaps the most telling stat of the game was that Miami got to the line 14 more times than Nebraska, who dropped its third game of the season despite Shavon Shields' season-high 28 points.
Wake Forest 69, Rutgers 68
The Demon Deacons inched past a pesky Rutgers squad, who led by a point with just 28 seconds remaining. Sophomore Cornelius Hudson emerged as the hero for Wake Forest when he scored on a baseline drive with just 17 seconds remaining, which proved to be the game-winning basket. With only six combined juniors and seniors on their 15-man roster, the Scarlet Knights definitely showed signs of progress, especially from guard Corey Sanders, who led the team with 17 points. But the Demon Deacons rode their star to the finish line as forward Devin Thomas scored a game-high 23 points and was a load to handle all game long.
Minnesota 89, Clemson 83
Minnesota rode the heroics of star freshman Jordan Murphy, who recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Gophers went 24-of-30 from the free-throw line as Clemson failed to win its game in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge for the fourth year in a row. The Tigers did keep the game close with excellent offensive play, shooting 50-percent from behind the 3-point line and getting a big game from senior guard Jordan Roper, who scored a career-high 25 points.
Michigan 66, N.C. State 59
Senior guard Caris LeVert posted a near triple-double as the Wolverines overcame the Wolfpack and came away with a solid road victory. Michigan shot 50 percent from the floor and led by as many as 15, but needed six points off of free throws from LeVert in the final minute to seal the game. The guard stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine boards and seven assists, while freshman guard Duncan Robinson contributed another 17 points, including five 3-pointers. The Wolfpack only managed to connect on three field goals in the last seven minutes of the game, and shot just 33-percent from the field.
No. 11 Purdue 72. Pittsburgh 59
Senior center A.J. Hammons came off the bench and exploded for 24 points and 10 rebounds in an easy victory for the Boilermakers against the Panthers. Purdue dominated defensively and held its opponent to just 35-percent shooting from the floor. Guard Ryan Cline contributed 12 points alongside Hammons to help preserve the Boilermakers' undefeated record.
Wisconsin 66, Syracuse 58
In a back-and-forth affair that had 10 lead changes, the Badgers pulled away in overtime despite having multiple starters in foul trouble throughout the game. Four of Wisconsin’s five starters finished in double figures, but the Badgers were largely aided by late-game struggles by the Orange, who missed five free throws in the final 5:23 of the game. Wisconsin dominated the overtime period and held Syracuse to just 29-percent shooting from beyond the arc for the game. The loss was the Orange's first defeat of the season after a 6-0 start to the year.
Penn State 67, Boston College 58
Sophomore guard Shep Garner was on fire from all over the court and finished with 30 points, on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. The guard fell just one short of the school record for most triples in a game, but did more than enough to held the Nittany Lions come away with an easy victory. Senior Dennis Clifford scored 17 points for the Eagles, who dropped their fourth consecutive game.
Notre Dame 84, Illinois 79
The Fighting Illini could only keep star Notre Dame guard Demetrius Jackson cold for so long and the junior responded with 17 second-half points to put Illinois away in a come-from-behind victory. One of the biggest keys for the Fighting Irish in the victory was a shift to a zone defense in the second half, which put the clamps on the home team and allowed Notre Dame to overcome their eight-point halftime deficit.
Iowa 78, Florida State 75
Iowa rode junior guard Peter Jok to a much-needed home victory as the junior chipped in 24 points and the game-winning triple with just 25 seconds left in overtime. Jok’s efforts combined with Jarrod Uthoff’s 15 points and eight rebounds were enough to deliver Iowa its third straight win at home and help the Hawkeyes move to 5-2 on the season.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.