The ACC contingent sputtered on the court, where it matters most, losing six of the first eight games in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Talk about squeaking through – the sole ACC wins, by Syracuse and Wake, both came in overtime.
That all but assured the league would fail yet again to lead the series for a sobering 10th time in the past 12 years.
For a while it appeared Duke, the most successful participant in Challenge competition, would secure its 20th victory in 23 starts in the annual set of faceoffs with the Big Ten.