The Southeastern Conference nearly went undefeated in the first of two days in the SEC-ACC Challenge but a familiar foe spoiled the perfect day for the SEC.
As nine SEC teams found a win over their ACC opponent on Tuesday, Kentucky was the only one to fall in an upset bit to the unranked Clemson Tigers.
No. 4 Kentucky fell by a score of 70-66 on the road against Clemson on Tuesday night. The Wildcats had a few looks to win the game in the final stretch but couldn’t quite close the gap. Kentucky and Clemson traded leads throughout the game but the Tigers took control of things with just about 10 minutes to go in the game.
Kentucky moves to 7-1 with the loss.
No. 3 Tennessee had the biggest win of the day with a 96-70 drumming of Syracuse in Knoxville on Tuesday night. The Vols flexed their muscles in new Dark Mode uniforms with five players in double-digit scoring including a game-high 26 points from guard Chaz Lanier.
What’s perhaps more impressive is the way Tennessee won on Tuesday. In addition to the casual, quiet 26 points that Lanier dropped on Tuesday, Tennessee used a balanced offensive effort around the floor to produce points highlighted by Igor Milicic Jr.’s 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. The Vols defense also picked up 19 points on 11 turnovers from the Orange’s offense on Tuesday.
Wednesday’s slate presents some must-see games, though. The final day of the challenge is headlined by Alabama at North Carolina and Auburn at Duke, a Top 20 game and Top 10 game, respectively.
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Here’s a look at how the first day of the SEC-ACC Challenge turned out and what’s on tap for Wednesday’s slate of games to finish off the challenge:
SEC-ACC Challenge (Tuesday)
No. 3 Tennessee def. Syracuse 96-70
Clemson def. No. 4 Kentucky 70-66
No. 21 Oklahoma def. Georgia Tech 76-61
No. 22 Texas A&M def. Wake Forest 57-44
No. 23 Ole Miss def. Louisville 86-63
Arkansas def. Miami 76-73
Georgia def. Notre Dame 69-48
Missouri def. Cal 98-93
South Carolina def. Boston College 73-51
LSU def. Florida State 85-75
SEC-ACC Challenge (Wednesday)
No. 10 Alabama at No. 20 North Carolina – 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN
Virginia at No. 13 Florida – 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN2
No. 2 Auburn at No. 9 Duke – 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN
No. 18 Pittsburgh at Mississippi State – 9:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network
Texas at NC State – 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech – 9:15 p.m. ET on ACC Network
