No. 9 Duke made an announcement in its 84-78 win over No. 2 Auburn on Wednesday within the last sport of the ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge. The Blue Devils handed the Tigers their first lack of the season after trailing by as many as 11 factors within the first half to document their greatest win of the season.
Duke five-star freshman Isaiah Evans had solely knocked down seven 3-pointers in 4 appearances this season however got here off the bench and gave his workforce a much-needed spark. Evans knocked down six 3-pointers within the first half and completed with 18 factors.
Evans’ classmate Cooper Flagg — the top-ranked participant from the 2024 recruiting class — completed with a team-high 22 factors and recorded 11 rebounds, 4 assists and two blocks. Auburn’s final lead got here with simply over three minutes remaining within the first half. The Blue Devils ended the half on an 11-3 run to take a 43-36 lead into intermission and by no means seemed again.
Auburn star large man Johni Broome completed with 20 factors and 12 rebounds, whereas freshman Tahaad Pettiford scored 20. Four completely different Auburn gamers completed as double-figure scorers.
The Tigers got here into the week as one of many hottest groups within the nation. Auburn went 3-0 eventually week’s Maui Invitational and picked up wins over Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis throughout that stretch. Auburn additionally added a nonconference win over Houston in the course of the opening week of the 2024-25 marketing campaign.
Before handing Auburn its first loss, Duke was 1-2 in opposition to ranked opponents. The Blue Devils suffered losses to Kentucky and Kansas at impartial websites and knocked off Arizona on the highway. Duke (6-2) performs Louisville subsequent on Sunday, whereas Auburn (7-1) faces Richmond on the identical day.
Duke finds a solution to end down the stretch
In losses to Kansas and Kentucky, late-game execution haunted Duke. The Blue Devils had an opportunity to tie or take the lead within the last minute of each of these video games, and it has been the distinction between beginning the season 7-0 or sitting at 5-2 in the course of the first week of December. On Wednesday in opposition to the most popular workforce within the nation, Duke held off Auburn’s late rally to flee with its greatest win of the season. Duke by no means trailed after taking a 34-33 lead with 3:10 remaining within the first half.
Evans was the spark Duke wanted off the bench
The former five-star prospect got here into this sport as a deep-bench choice for Duke coach Jon Scheyer. Evans had logged simply over 45 minutes in 4 appearances however got here off the bench and knocked down six 3-pointers within the first half. Evans completed with 18 factors — second on the workforce behind Flagg — and undoubtedly made a case that he ought to play extra minutes going ahead.
Auburn should not drop far within the polls regardless of the loss
The final two weeks of the school basketball season have been chaotic. Multiple groups ranked excessive within the AP Top 25 ballot suffered their first or second loss, which ought to give voters complications when casting their ballots later this weekend. With No. 1 Kansas shedding earlier within the day and No. 4 Kentucky taking place in opposition to Clemson on Tuesday, Auburn should not drop far within the ballot. There’s a robust risk that Auburn (due to its high quality wins) stays within the prime three come Monday.
SEC dominated the ACC
The SEC ought to really feel fairly good after what occurred the final two days because it utterly dominated the ACC, successful 14 of the 16 video games within the ACC/SEC Challenge. Some notable wins for the convention embody Alabama going into Chapel Hill and leaving with a 94-79 win, Mississippi State blowing out No. 18 Pitt 90-57, and Florida cruising to an 87-69 win over Virginia at residence. No. 3 Tennessee defeated Syracuse 96-70 on Tuesday and can now have a robust case to maneuver to No. 1 within the polls subsequent week after No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Auburn each misplaced. The SEC obtained off to a gradual begin to the season however rebounded convincingly in opposition to the ACC.
Duke, Clemson save the day for the ACC
The ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge was utterly one-sided this season. After final 12 months’s duel led to a tie, the SEC made an announcement this time round. Duke and Clemson helped the ACC keep away from being shutout by recording wins over Auburn and Kentucky, respectively. The SEC was 9-0 in opposition to the ACC earlier than Clemson pulled off a 70-66 win over the Wildcats at residence. On Day 2 of the problem, the ACC was 0-5 till Duke handed Auburn its first loss.
ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge scores
- No. 3 Tennessee 96, Syracuse 70
- No. 21 Oklahoma 76, Georgia Tech 61
- No. 22 Texas A&M 57, Wake Forest 44
- No. 23 Ole Miss 86, Louisville 63
- Arkansas 76, Miami 73
- Georgia 69, Notre Dame 48
- Missouri 98, Cal 93
- South Carolina 73, Boston College 51
- LSU 85, Florida State 75
- Clemson 70, No. 4 Kentucky 66
- No. 13 Florida 87, Virginia 69
- No. 10 Alabama 94, No. 20 North Carolina 79
- Mississippi State 90, No. 18 Pitt 57
- Texas 63, NC State 59
- Vanderbilt 80, Virginia Tech 64
- No. 9 Duke 84, No. 2 Auburn 78
