No. 9 Duke made a statement in its 84-78 win over No. 2 Auburn on Wednesday in the final game of the ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge. The Blue Devils handed the Tigers their first loss of the season after trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half to record their biggest win of the season.
Duke five-star freshman Isaiah Evans had only knocked down seven 3-pointers in four appearances this season but came off the bench and gave his team a much-needed spark. Evans knocked down six 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 18 points.
Evans’ classmate Cooper Flagg — the top-ranked player from the 2024 recruiting class — finished with a team-high 22 points and recorded 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Auburn’s last lead came with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. The Blue Devils ended the half on an 11-3 run to take a 43-36 lead into intermission and never looked back.
Auburn star big man Johni Broome finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while freshman Tahaad Pettiford scored 20. Four different Auburn players finished as double-figure scorers.
The Tigers came into the week as one of the hottest teams in the country. Auburn went 3-0 at last week’s Maui Invitational and picked up wins over Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis during that stretch. Auburn also added a nonconference win over Houston during the opening week of the 2024-25 campaign.
Before handing Auburn its first loss, Duke was 1-2 against ranked opponents. The Blue Devils suffered losses to Kentucky and Kansas at neutral sites and knocked off Arizona on the road. Duke (6-2) plays Louisville next on Sunday, while Auburn (7-1) faces Richmond on the same day.
Duke finds a way to finish down the stretch
In losses to Kansas and Kentucky, late-game execution haunted Duke. The Blue Devils had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute of both of those games, and it’s been the difference between starting the season 7-0 or sitting at 5-2 during the first week of December. On Wednesday against the hottest team in the country, Duke held off Auburn’s late rally to escape with its biggest win of the season. Duke never trailed after taking a 34-33 lead with 3:10 remaining in the first half.
Evans was the spark Duke needed off the bench
The former five-star prospect came into this game as a deep-bench option for Duke coach Jon Scheyer. Evans had logged just over 45 minutes in four appearances but came off the bench and knocked down six 3-pointers in the first half. Evans finished with 18 points — second on the team behind Flagg — and definitely made a case that he should play more minutes going forward.
Auburn shouldn’t drop far in the polls despite the loss
The last two weeks of the college basketball season have been chaotic. Multiple teams ranked high in the AP Top 25 poll suffered their first or second loss, which should give voters headaches when casting their ballots later this weekend. With No. 1 Kansas losing earlier in the day and No. 4 Kentucky going down against Clemson on Tuesday, Auburn shouldn’t drop far in the poll. There’s a strong possibility that Auburn (because of its quality wins) remains in the top three come Monday.
SEC dominated the ACC
The SEC should feel pretty good after what happened the last two days as it completely dominated the ACC, winning 14 of the 16 games in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Some notable wins for the conference include 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 home. No. 3 Tennessee defeated Syracuse 96-70 on Tuesday and will now have a strong case to move to No. 1 in the polls next week after No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Auburn both lost. The SEC got off to a slow start to the season but rebounded convincingly against the ACC.
Duke, Clemson save the day for the ACC
The ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge was completely one-sided this season. After last year’s duel ended in a tie, the SEC made a statement this time around. Duke and Clemson helped the ACC avoid being shutout by recording wins over Auburn and Kentucky, respectively. The SEC was 9-0 against the ACC before Clemson pulled off a 70-66 win over the Wildcats at home. On Day 2 of the challenge, the ACC was 0-5 until 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
