The second day of the SEC/ACC Challenge tipped off on Wednesday with another slate of intriguing matchups.
The SEC dominated Day 1 of the event, winning nine of the first 10 games to clinch the win on the first day. The only victory for the ACC came as unranked Clemson knocked off No. 4 Kentucky.
It was another dominant night for the SEC on Wednesday as just one ACC team, Duke, walked away with a win. In total, the SEC won the challenge 14-2.
Here's a look at how the final day of action in the SEC/ACC Challenge went.
Wednesday's Schedule and Scores
- No. 10 Alabama def. No. 20 North Carolina, 94-79
- No. 13 Florida def. Virginia, 87-69
- Mississippi State def. No. 18 Pittsburgh, 90-57
- Texas def. NC State, 63-59
- Vanderbilt def. Virginia Tech, 80-64
- No. 9 Duke def. No. 2 Auburn, 84-78
No. 10 Alabama def. No. 20 North Carolina, 94-79
Both Alabama and North Carolina have had a few hiccups early this season and came into Wednesday's matchup seeking a signature win.
The Crimson Tide, fresh off an upset loss to Oregon, handled business against the Tar Heels on the road.
Alabama looked to veteran point guard Mark Sears in the win as he posted 20 points and seven assists, looking like the player who led the Tide to the Final Four a year ago. Labron Philon added 15 while Aden Holloway posted 15 from the bench.
Alabama now has a handful of impressive wins after previously taking down Illinois and Houston, and it will look to ride the momentum into the rest of the month as the Tide gear up for conference play. North Carolina, which dropped to 4-4 with the loss, clearly has flaws it needs to clean up before conference play begins.
No. 13 Florida def. Virginia, 87-69
Florida handled business and stayed undefeated against Virginia at home on Wednesday.
The Gators got a huge night from Walter Clayton Jr., who dropped 27 points on 10-of-19 from the field and 5-of-12 from deep. The senior was an integral part of Florida's squad last season and seems ready to bring the Gators more success this year.
Florida got another 19 from Alex Condon and Alijah Martin added 16 and turned the ball over just six times compared to 15 from the Cavaliers.
The undefeated Gators have another contest against an ACC opponent later this month when they take on North Carolina. Picking up a win against the Tar Heels would give Florida all the momentum in the world heading into conference play.
Mississippi State def. No. 18 Pittsburgh, 90-57
It was all Mississippi State in Starkville despite Pittsburgh coming into the matchup ranked No. 18.
The Bulldogs trounced the Panthers to pick up their first ranked win of the year after last week's loss to Butler. It was Mississippi State's largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent in program history.
Forward KeShawn Murphy led the way for Mississippi State, scoring 20 points in 8-of-10 from the field off the bench. The junior also pulled in seven boards. Michael Nwoko put up 18, Josh Hubbard had 12 and RJ Melendez and Claudell Harris each had 10.
No. 9 Duke def. No. 2 Auburn, 84-78
The Blue Devils handed Auburn its first loss of the year behind a big performance from freshman sensation Cooper Flagg.
The early favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft dropped 22 points and 11 boards to guide his team to victory. Freshman guard Isaiah Evans also put together his best game of the season thus far, posting 18 points off the bench.
Duke managed to get the win despite another outstanding performance from veteran Johni Broome, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Duke led by double digits for much of the second half, but the Tigers came crawling back to cut it down to a two-possession game in the final minute. That deficit proved to be too much for Auburn, though, and the Blue Devils put the game away at the free throw line.
After early losses to Kentucky and Kansas, Duke finally has its signature win and got a major resume boost before the start of conference play. Luckily for Auburn, it came into the matchup having already beaten three top-15 teams, so a loss doesn't look too bad on the Tigers' schedule.
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