No. 9 North Carolina and No. 3 Notre Dame got shellacked by top Big Ten foes, while Duke remained undefeated. The Blue Zone looks at a busy week in the ACC:
No. 4 Michigan State 63, No. 9 North Carolina 45
In the championship game for the Victory Bracket in the PK80 Invitational, Michigan State cruised to a win against North Carolina. Joshua Langford led Michigan State with 23 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc, helping Spartan coach Tom Izzo get his first career win against Roy Williams’ Tar Heels. Theo Pinson led the way for North Carolina with 16 points, but North Carolina could not get any scoring from its stars Joel Berry II and Luke Maye.
Georgia Tech 52, Northwestern 51
In one of the most exciting games in the Big Ten-ACC challenge, Georgia Tech beat Northwestern on Tadric Jackson’s layup at the buzzer. Jackson got the ball with two seconds left before driving and throwing up a layup at the final moment to defeat a once-ranked Northwestern team. Bryant McIntosh led the Wildcats with 18 points, while the Yellow Jackets saw center Ben Lammers lead the way with 13 points.
Purdue 66, No. 17 Louisville 57
In one of the biggest upsets of the ACC’s slate of games against the Big Ten, Purdue and senior center Isaac Haas knocked off the 17th-ranked Cardinals. Haas drew five fouls in a two-minute span, helping give the Boilermakers a 16-3 run they used to hold on and win. Purdue now has big wins against Louisville and then-No. 2 Arizona, which has now dropped out of the top-25.
No.10 Miami 86, No. 12 Minnesota 81
Actually having to play against five players for the entirety of the game unlike it did against Alabama, Minnesota fell to Miami at home. Hurricane big man Dewan Huell led the way with 15 second-half points en route to 23 total, scoring most of his points off the pick-and-roll, a strategy which Miami leaned on heavily to wear down a bigger Minnesota team.
No. 1 Duke 91, Indiana 81
In Duke’s only true road game before ACC play, the Blue Devils matched up against a gritty Indiana team and came away with a close win in Assembly Hall. To no one’s surprise, Marvin Bagley III led the Blue Devils in scoring with 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Hoosiers played Duke well in the first half with no team able to separate itself from the other, with 11 ties and 10 lead changes throughout the game. Gary Trent Jr. finally put the Blue Devils in control for good with a tough 3-point play to give them a nine-point lead with 2:24 remaining.
No. 3 Michigan State 81, No. 5 Notre Dame 63
Michigan State has looked like a completely different team after falling short against the Blue Devils in Chicago earlier in the season. With easy wins against two top-10 teams in North Carolina and now Notre Dame, the Spartans look poised to be a favorite come March. Michigan State bullied Notre Dame in this game, outrebounding the Irish 42-21. The Fighting Irish were no match for a tough Spartan defense that has led its team to five straight victories.
Elsewhere:
Syracuse 72, Maryland 70
No. 18 Virginia 49, Wisconsin 37
Florida State 78, Rutgers 73
Pittsburgh 71, High Point 63
Wake Forest 80, Illinois 73
Virginia Tech 79, Iowa 55
NC State 85, Penn State 78
Clemson 79, Ohio State 65
No. 13 North Carolina 86, Michigan 71
Nebraska 71, Boston College 62
Pittsburgh 76, Duquesne 64
Grambling 64, Georgia Tech 63
No. 13 North Carolina 85, Davidson 75
NC State 103, South Carolina State 71
No. 18 Virginia 75, Lehigh 54
Virginia Tech 83, Ole Miss 80
No. 1 Duke 96, South Dakota 80
Wake Forest 82, Richmond 53
No. 2 Kansas 76, Syracuse 60
Boston College 73, Hartford 61
No. 10 Miami 80, Princeton 52
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