Duke’s 84-78 victory over No. 2 Auburn was a rare bright spot for the struggling Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the second-year ACC-SEC Challenge. The loss marked the conference’s 14th defeat against the Southeastern Conference (SEC), with only one win in each night of play.
The Blue Devils, led by freshman Isaiah Evans’ impressive debut, played cleaner basketball and outperformed their more experienced opponents. Evans scored 18 points off the bench, including six 3-pointers, and Cooper Flagg contributed 22 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
Despite the win, the ACC’s overall performance was dismal, with the SEC dominating the conference 9-1 on the first night of play and extending their lead to 10-2 by the end of the second night. The conference has now lost 14 games in the tournament, including two wins over top-five teams.
The losses deal a significant blow to the ACC’s reputation as one of college athletics’ most historic conferences, which is struggling to maintain its competitive edge against the SEC and Big Ten.
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/no-9-dukes-triumph-over-no-2-auburn-cant-salvage-acc-sec-challenge-for-its-conference-045024382.html