This week, the ACC triumphed in the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge 9-5 for its first win since 2008, headlined by impressive victories by Duke, Virginia and Louisville.
No. 5 Duke (8-1)
The Blue Devils were the only top-10 ACC team to make it through the past week without suffering a loss. Duke earned a gutty 78-69 win against Michigan State at home led by freshman Frank Jackson and star junior Grayson Allen. The Blue Devils followed up their tough game on Tuesday night with a 39-point victory against Maine that saw the long-awaited debut of two of Duke’s star freshmen—Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden. Despite seeing fairly limited minutes, Tatum finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, and Bolden contributed seven points and five boards. But Luke Kennard was responsible for the margin of victory against the Black Bears with a career-high 35 points on an efficient 11-of-16 night from the field.
No. 3 North Carolina (8-1)
Despite a strong start to the year, the Tar Heels finally met their match at Assembly Hall Wednesday night against No. 13 Indiana. Despite 21 points from swingman Justin Jackson, North Carolina fell to the Hoosiers 76-67, in a game Indiana led by as much as 17 in the first half. The Tar Heels followed their loss with a 95-50 home win against Radford, but star point guard Joel Berry injured his ankle in the blowout.
No. 6 Virginia (7-1)
Despite also being down big against Ohio State in its ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup, Virginia managed to climb out of an 16-point hole against the Buckeyes to earn a 63-61 victory. But the Cavaliers followed their impressive comeback with a 66-57 loss Saturday against No. 25 West Virginia. The loss to the Mountaineers marks the first nonconference home loss for Virginia in three years.
No. 14 Louisville (7-1)
The Cardinals continued their winning ways with a solid win against No. 15 Purdue in a 71-64 home win. Louisville led for most of the game and got 11 points and nine rebounds from sophomore forward Ray Spalding. The Cardinals minimized the damage from Purdue forward Caleb Swanigan en route to an impressive victory, but looked much shakier Saturday against Grand Canyon, when they had to rally from a halftime deficit for a 79-70 win.
No. 22 Syracuse (5-2)
After a 4-0 start to the season, the Orange lost two straight before rebounding Saturday against Northern Florida. Syracuse fell to No. 17 Wisconsin by double digits in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Tuesday, allowing the Badgers to shoot 11-for-23 from 3-point range in the 77-60 loss.
Florida State (7-1)
The Seminoles fell out of the top 25 after a narrow loss to Temple before rebounding to win three straight games, including their Big 10 matchup against Minnesota. Sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon has paced Florida State early with 18.1 points per game.
Notre Dame (8-0)
The Fighting Irish remain the only undefeated ACC team through the first quarter of the regular season. Notre Dame has yet to play a ranked opponent, but still won their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against Iowa by an impressive 14 points thanks to 24 points and 17 rebounds from forward Bonzie Colson. The Fighting Irish will face No. 2 Villanova Saturday at noon.
Miami (6-2)
The Hurricanes rebounded from two straight losses with wins against two inferior opponents this week. They beat Rutgers 73-61 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and cruised past Wofford Saturday behind a double-double from senior Kamari Murphy.
NC State (6-2)
With N.C. State still missing freshman forward Omar Yurtseven, who is serving a nine-game suspension, rookie point guard Dennis Smith could not carry the Wolfpack past Illinois in the ACC/BIg Ten Challenge. The Fighting Illini shot 50.0 percent from the field in their 88-74 win. N.C. State rebounded with a shaky 77-73 win against Boston University Saturday.
Pittsburgh (6-2)
Pittsburgh put together a strong performance in a 73-59 victory against Maryland, shutting down veteran point guard Melo Trimble to hold the Terrapins to just 34.4 percent shooting from the field. However, the physicality of the previous game must have caught up with the Panthers, as they fell to Duquesne in an uninspired 64-55 upset loss Friday.
Virginia Tech (6-1)
Despite an early loss to Texas A&M, Virginia Tech put together a complete game on the road in Ann Arbor, Mich., as it took on Michigan and made a tremendous comeback throughout the second half. The Hokies rode a 43-point second half and shot 52.2 percent from the field to defeat the Wolverines, who went into halftime with a nine-point lead.
Wake Forest (6-2)
The Demon Deacons went ice cold in a 65-58 loss against Northwestern in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, shooting just 31.1 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc. They did not rediscover their shooting touch Saturday at Richmond, shooting just 4-for-24 from 3-point range, but John Collins' double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds carried Wake Forest to a 75-67 victory.
Clemson (5-2)
Preseason first-team All-ACC forward Jaron Blossomgame scored 15 points to lift Clemson to a narrow 60-58 victory against Nebraska in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge before the Tigers trounced Coppin State 85-43 Sunday. Blossomgame leads the Tigers with 17.8 points per game this year.
Boston College (4-3)
The Eagles did not get to play in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since they finished last in the ACC last season and there are only 14 Big Ten teams, so they had all week to prepare for an 88-70 win against Dartmouth Saturday. Sophomore Jerome Robinson scored 27 points in the victory and is second in the ACC behind Pittsburgh's Michael Young with 20.1 points per game this season.
Georgia Tech (4-3)
The Yellow Jackets could not get much offense going in two straight losses this week against Penn State and Tennessee, failing to score more than 60 points in either contest. Georgia Tech turned the ball over 36 times in the two games and allowed the Volunteers to shoot better than 50 percent in the 81-58 blowout loss.
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