Three takeaways from the first annual ACC/SEC Basketball Challenge

Three takeaways from the first annual ACC/SEC Basketball Challenge:

1. Good showing by SEC to pull out a tie

After the first ACC/SEC Basketball Challenge ended in a 7-7 tie Wednesday night, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey tweeted, “I demand a recount.”

On Tuesday night, the SEC earned four victories with Kentucky beating Miami 95-73, South Carolina defeating Notre Dame 65-53, Missouri winning 71-64 at Pittsburgh and Ole Miss taking care of North Carolina State 72-52.

The ACC earned three Tuesday wins with Georgia Tech beating Mississippi State 67-59, Clemson winning 85-77 at Alabama and Syracuse thumping LSU 80-57.

The ACC picked up four Wednesday wins with North Carolina holding on to beat Tennessee 100-92, Virginia smothering Texas A&M 59-47, Wake Forest beating Florida 82-71 and Boston College winning 80-62 at Vanderbilt.

But the SEC pulled out three victories with Georgia edging host Florida State 68-66, Auburn taking care of Virginia Tech 74-57 and Arkansas fans rushing the floor at Bud Walton Arena after the Razorbacks knocked off No. 7-ranked Duke 80-75.

Not a bad showing at all for the SEC, considering the ACC has long been considered the better (best?) basketball conference. Arkansas’ victory came without guard Tramon Mark, the Houston transfer who had suffered a scary fall while scoring 34 points in the Razorbacks’ loss to North Carolina in the Battle 4 Atlantis. In the end, Justin Hill’s basket with 1.5 seconds left completed a Georgia rally from a 17-point deficit that helped the SEC earn the tie.

2. Kentucky and North Carolina the two most impressive

Of the 14 matchups, only two featured ranked teams facing each other. That ended in a split, as well. Both winners were impressive. No. 12 Kentucky beat No. 8 Miami at Rupp Arena on Tuesday. No. 17 North Carolina used a terrific first half to beat No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday.

As we know, Kentucky got 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot from freshman Reed Sheppard in its win over Miami. UK shot 59.7 percent from the floor. It made 9 of its 21 three-point attempts. Miami entered the game as the nation’s best three-point shooting team but made only 5 of its 19 attempts from beyond the arc.

“We didn’t score the ball well enough and we didn’t guard them at all,” said Miami coach Jim Larranaga afterward.

North Carolina led Tennessee 61-39 after a first half that Tennessee coach Rick Barnes called UT’s worst since he arrived in Knoxville in 2015. The Tar Heels made 7 of 16 three-pointers, made all 16 of their free throws and shot 58 percent from the floor in a stellar first half. “It was pretty special,” said UNC coach Hubert Davis.

Led by Dalton Knecht’s game-high 37 points, Tennessee drew as close as seven points in the second half but ended up losing its third straight game after falling to Purdue and Kansas in the Maui Invitational. Fifth-year center Armando Bacot led North Carolina with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Elliot Cadeau dished 10 assists.

Remember, Kentucky and North Carolina will play each other in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 16 in Atlanta. Should be fun.

3. More Challenge disappointments and surprises

▪ Alabama failed to protect its home court — described as a “tennis match” crowd by ESPN’s Jay Williams — in the Tide’s loss to undefeated Clemson. Nate Oats’ club made just 11 of its 35 three-point attempts and shot 34.3 percent overall. North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson was just 4-of-15 from the floor, including 2-of-8 from three-point range.

▪ Mississippi State was disappointing in its loss to Georgia Tech. Chris Jans’ Bulldogs entered the game with a 6-0 record and one of the nation’s better defensive resumes, via kenpom. But the Bulldogs shot just 30.8 percent to take the “L” versus the Yellow Jackets.

▪ As for surprises, South Carolina improved to 6-0 with its win over Notre Dame. The Gamecocks got 29 points from Meechie Johnson, who drained four of his nine three-point attempts. Remember, South Carolina was 11-21 last season for first-year coach Lamont Paris.

▪ And after losses to Memphis and Jackson State, Missouri rebounded to win at Pittsburgh. Sean East II scored 21 points for the Tigers, who held Pitt to just 34 percent shooting from the floor.

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