Big Ten-ACC Challenge 2015: Scores, Highlights and Reaction from Monday

The Big Ten-ACC Challenge has become an annual early-season treat featuring arguably the two best conferences in men's college basketball. After all, both conferences were represented in last year’s national championship game between the Duke Blue Devils and Wisconsin Badgers.

Here is a look at Monday’s scores and a reaction from the opening contests of the three-day, 14-game series.

Wake Forest Defeats Rutgers 69-68

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons mounted a remarkable 16-2 run in the latter stages of the second half to claim an unlikely 69-68 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

It wasn’t the strongest outing, as Blogger So Dear noted, but the Demon Deacons improved to 5-2:

Rutgers guard Mike Williams missed a three-pointer off an inbounds pass with 4.6 seconds remaining, leaving the Scarlet Knights with a tough loss to swallow, as On the Banks tweeted:

Free throws played a pivotal role late in the game, as both teams hit the double bonus with roughly four minutes remaining. The Demon Deacons started 12-of-12 from the line in the second half, while Rutgers didn’t make a single free throw in the final period until just under the four-minute mark.

Once Wake Forest tied the game at 60-60 with 4:51 left, the teams traded leads or ties 10 times the rest of the way.

Devin Thomas led the way for Wake Forest, scoring 16 of his 23 points in the second half and finishing with 16 rebounds—marks that haven’t been reached by many Demon Deacons, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Rutgers, in its second full season in the Big Ten, is seeking its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1991. During that drought, 276 different teams have qualified for the tournament, according to the ESPN telecast. The Scarlet Knights haven’t been ranked since 1979.

But they have tried to turn things around, hiring head coach Eddie Jordan in April 2013. Jordan was Rutgers' point guard when the Scarlet Knights reached the Final Four undefeated in 1976 before falling to Michigan in the semifinals. This was a tough early-season loss, but perhaps the team can build off it.

The Demon Deacons, meanwhile, are showing promise under head coach Danny Manning after going 13-19 in his first season a year ago. They’ve already registered wins over Indiana and UCLA and are building momentum before entering conference play in January.

The two teams put on an exciting show Monday to start another edition of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

Minnesota rebounds vs. Clemson, 89-83

Clemson and Minnesota followed Game 1’s antics with an exciting 89-83 finish in favor of the Golden Gophers.

Freshman Jordan Murphy led Minnesota with 24 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. The Big Ten Network shared a few of his highlights:

John Krawczynski of the Associated Press was among the many impressed with the freshman’s breakout performance:

As impressive as Murphy’s outing was, the Golden Gophers got great performances from their entire starting five. Nate Mason, Joey King and Charles Buggs each had double-digit points to create an even distribution.

Clemson led by as many as 10 in the first half and eight in the second but was marred by 11 turnovers to Minnesota’s six.

Clemson’s Jordan Roper finished with a career-high 25 points points, and Jaron Blossomgame turned in 24. But the duo couldn’t get much help elsewhere. No other Tiger had more than nine points.

Roper gave the Tigers what looked to be a momentum-changing finish to the first half by halting a 9-0 run and following it with a score, per Clemson Basketball:

These are two programs in the lower echelon of two extremely competitive leagues with similar ambitions of a rapid rise this year. Entering Monday, they each had four wins and a combined three losses.

It was a big win for third-year Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino, who in convincing fashion led the Golden Gophers to their 47th straight nonconference home win, according to the ESPN telecast.

Behind Roper, the Tigers have a chance to rebound. Despite limited performances, Clemson still shot 50 percent from the field and was 11-of-15 from the free-throw line.

Minnesota’s win pulled the Big Ten/ACC Challenge to a tie at 1-1, with plenty of exciting matchups set for Tuesday, highlighted by No. 2 Maryland at No. 9 North Carolina.