Kentucky basketball lost, but what else happened in the 2024 SEC/ACC Challenge?
The second edition of the SEC/ACC Challenge for men’s college basketball is now in the books.
And the SEC dominated the event.
The SEC went 14-2 in the challenge. The only SEC schools to lose to ACC opposition this week were No. 4 Kentucky at Clemson and No. 2 Auburn at No. 9 Duke.
Last year, the SEC and ACC played to a 7-7 tie in the first edition of the challenge.
Entering this week’s challenge, the SEC had eight teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, compared to just three schools from the ACC.
You probably already know the details of Kentucky’s first loss of the season, but what else happened around the country during the 2024 SEC/ACC Challenge?
Here’s a quick recap of each game in the event.
Tuesday’s games
Arkansas 76, Miami (Fla.) 73: For the first time as Arkansas head coach, John Calipari steered the Razorbacks to a win over power conference opposition. Freshman guard and former UK signee Boogie Fland led the way for the Hogs (6-2) with 18 points.
Miami (3-5), which has lost five games in a row, led for more than 36 minutes at home.
Georgia 69, Notre Dame 48: Five-star recruit Asa Newell turned in his best performance so far for Georgia (8-1) in the Bulldogs’ home rout of Notre Dame (4-5). The freshman forward had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. UGA has won 24 straight home nonconference games.
South Carolina 73, Boston College 51: Sophomore forward and projected first-round NBA draft pick Collin Murray-Boyles had a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double for South Carolina (5-3) in a road victory at Boston College (6-3).
Missouri 98, California 93: After going winless in SEC play last season, Missouri (7-1) is off to a fast start this season. The Tigers scored a home win Tuesday in which they erased a 16-point halftime deficit to California (6-2).
Former Duke guard Mark Mitchell had 21 points for Missouri, which was led in scoring by sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II with 29 points. Missouri made 85% of its second-half shots.
No. 3 Tennessee 96, Syracuse 70: The game that preceded Kentucky-Clemson on ESPN was a laugher as Tennessee (8-0) rolled over Syracuse (4-3) in Knoxville. Former North Florida guard Chaz Lanier — a one-time Kentucky target in the transfer portal — led the Volunteers with 26 points.
No. 22 Texas A&M 57, Wake Forest 44: The Aggies (7-2) protected home court with a stifling defensive performance against the Demon Deacons (7-3). Wake Forest shot just 28% from the field (17-for-60) for the game.
No. 21 Oklahoma 76, Georgia Tech 61: New SEC member Oklahoma is making a strong impression on the league. The Sooners (8-0) spent Feast Week winning the Battle 4 Atlantis championship over Louisville, and they followed up that performance with a strong home win over Georgia Tech (4-4). Oklahoma outscored Georgia Tech by 14 points at the foul line.
No. 23 Ole Miss 86, Louisville 63: Things have quickly gone South for Pat Kelsey less than 10 games into his Louisville coaching tenure.
Louisville made strides during Feast Week by defeating Indiana and West Virginia in the Battle 4 Atlantis, but the Cardinals have now lost forward Kasean Pryor (torn ACL) and guard Koren Johnson (shoulder) for the season over the last week.
It doesn’t help that Louisville (5-3) has been boat raced by SEC opposition in its two marquee home games this season. Tennessee beat Louisville by 22 points on Nov. 9 in the Derby City.
Ole Miss (7-1) outscored Louisville by 22 points in the paint. Dre Davis — a former Louisville guard — had 20 points to lead Ole Miss.
Louisville begins ACC play on Sunday night at home against No. 9 Duke.
LSU 85, Florida State 75: Senior guard Cam Carter (26 points) and fifth-year guard Jordan Sears (21 points) powered LSU (7-1) to a home win over Florida State (7-2).
LSU junior forward Jalen Reed — the Tigers’ leading rebounder — suffered a leg injury early in the game and played only two minutes.
Clemson 70, No. 4 Kentucky 66: In the only win by an ACC school in the challenge on Tuesday night, Clemson (8-1) grounded Kentucky’s high-flying offense at a raucous Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina.
Clemson senior forward Ian Schieffelin missed 16 shots from the field but contributed a career-high 20 rebounds in the win.
UK (7-1) shot just 26% (7-for-27) on 3-pointers in the game. The Wildcats scored only 30 points in the first half, their lowest output in 20 minutes of basketball this season.
Wednesday’s games
No. 10 Alabama 94, No. 20 North Carolina 79: Six different Alabama players scored in double figures as the Crimson Tide (7-2) dropped North Carolina (4-4) to .500 on the season.
No. 13 Florida 87, Virginia 69: Florida (9-0) remained undefeated this season with a home win over Virginia (5-3). Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. had 27 points for the Gators.
No. 9 Duke 84, No. 2 Auburn 78: In only the second win by an ACC school in the challenge, Duke (6-2) got a game-high 22 points from freshman sensation Cooper Flagg to hand Auburn (7-1) its first loss of the season.
Texas 63, N.C. State 59: Texas (7-1) took a late lead and held on the rest of the way against North Carolina State (5-3) for a road win in Raleigh. Freshman guard Tre Johnson — a former UK recruit — had 18 points for the Longhorns.
Vanderbilt 80, Virginia Tech 64: Vanderbilt (8-1) scored 28 points off 15 turnovers by Virginia Tech (3-5) in an easy road win for new head coach Mark Byington. Virginia Tech has lost eight straight games to current SEC schools.
Mississippi State 90, No. 18 Pitt 57: In one of the biggest statement performances of the event, Mississippi State (7-1) destroyed newly-ranked Pitt (7-2) in Starkville. The Bulldogs had 22 more rebounds than the Panthers.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 7:55 AM.
