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

The 17th annual Big Ten-ACC Challenge heated up Tuesday night with six matchups that included the No. 2, No. 9 and No. 10 teams in the country.

Late games include the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins vs. the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels, the Purdue Boilermakers vs. the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Miami Hurricanes vs. the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Here is a look at scores from the second day of the tournament and some reaction from around the Web. 

Result	Notable
No. 10 Virginia def. Ohio State, 64-58	Malcolm Brogdon with 22 points
Michigan def. N.C. State, 66-59	Caris LeVert totals 18 points, 9 REB, 7 AST
Northwestern def. Virginia Tech, 81-79 (OT)	Seth Allen tallies 25 points off the bench
No. 11 Purdue def. Pittsburgh, 72-59	A.J. Hammons pours in 24 off the pine
No. 21 Miami def. Nebraska, 77-72 (OT)	Shavon Shields drops game-high 28 points
No. 9 UNC def. No. 2 Maryland, 89-81	Melo Trimble with 23 points, 12 assists; Marcus Paige posts 20 points

Virginia Wins on the Road at Ohio State, 64-58     

The No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers took an early-season loss to the George Washington but won their fifth in a row after taking down the Ohio State Buckeyes in the challenge.

The Cavs announced just hours before the game that starting point guard London Perrantes would not play because of an appendectomy. 

So guard Malcolm Brogdon stepped up with 22 points to lead Virginia. It was nothing new for the senior, according to SportsCenter:

After taking a two-point halftime lead, Virginia went back and forth with the Buckeyes much of the first half. That was until Darius Thompson hit a layup at the 12:13 mark that gave the Cavaliers a lead they would not relinquish.

Virginia built a six-point lead before Ohio State cut the lead to three with 31 seconds remaining. Brogdon then stepped to the line to nail two free throws and ice the game.

College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla praised Brogdon's performance:

Ohio State had four players in double figures, led by Marc Loving's 19. The loss is the fourth in row for the normally elite Buckeyes.

The Cavaliers play the William & Mary Tribe before two games against ranked teams in the No. 20 West Virginia Mountaineers and the No. 8 Villanova Wildcats.   

It was a great win for a team that many questioned at the beginning of the year after the George Washington loss. 

This road victory could propel Virginia on a long winning streak, as it should be considered a legitimate Final Four team this season.

Michigan Takes Down NC State, 66-59

Michigan used a strong first half to hold off the North Carolina State Wolfpack and give the Big Ten a 2-1 lead in the challenge at the time.

Caris LeVert had 18 points to lead the Wolverines, and Duncan Robinson added 17.

Michigan's official Twitter account released a photo of the team celebrating the victory:

The Wolverines trailed 5-0, but after taking a 21-18 lead at 6:03 in the first half, they never trailed again.

LeVert was the star of the night, collecting nine rebounds and seven assists with his game-high 18 points, and he was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final minute to ice the game.

He showed off his hops early in the second half to give the Wolverines a 15-point lead, per ESPN (via B/R):

North Carolina State used a 12-3 run to get to within six in the second half, and the crowd was rocking, according to the team's Twitter account:

The Wolfpack would get no closer than four, ultimately falling to 4-3 on the season. Caleb Martin had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Anthony Barber added 16 points.

While LeVert paced the team, he gave praise to Duncan, who knocked down five three-pointers, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com):

"I know I'm surprised, because if we were playing against a guy like Duncan, we'd never leave him open," LeVert said. "That's what we'd be preaching."

The Wolverines moved to 5-2 on the season. While it's not a win against a Top 25 team, it was still much-needed for the Wolverines, as they'd already lost to the Connecticut Huskies and Xavier Musketeers this season.

Northwestern Knocks Off Virginia Tech in OT, 81-79

Bryant McIntosh had 19 points for the Northwestern Wildcats, including the game-winning layup, to help take down the Virginia Tech Hokies.

College basketball analyst Seth Davis was impressed with McIntosh and thinks he will help his team achieve a milestone before his career is over:

Tre Demps had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats, who blew a nine-point halftime lead before pulling out the victory.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports liked what he saw in the backcourt duo of Demps and McIntosh:

Virginia Tech never actually held a lead in regulation, but after going back and forth in the second half, it finally tied the game at 73 with 48 seconds remaining on two free throws from Seth Allen.

McIntosh came up big before his layup, nailing a three-pointer to give his team a 79-77 lead after it was finally trailing. Northwestern did not score again until McIntosh's winning layup.

Allen had 25 for a Virginia Tech team that fell to 4-3 under second-year head coach Buzz Williams.

No. 11 Purdue Handles Pitt, 72-59

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Purdue Boilermakers moved to 7-0 behind a dominant 24-point showing from center A.J. Hammons Tuesday evening against the Pittsburgh Panthers. 

While freshman sensation Caleb Swanigan garnered national attention throughout the preseason, Hammons stepped up and grabbed 12 rebounds to go with his game-high 24 points off the pine.

The senior shot 10-of-15 from the field in the win and blew away Pitt's frontcourts after scoring 11 points combined in Purdue's last two wins over Florida and Lehigh. 

Guard Ryan Cline also stepped up with 12 points off the bench on a night when Purdue's starters combined to score just 28 points. 

The Boilermakers entered halftime with a slim 29-26 lead, but a 43-33 second-half advantage sealed the win for Matt Painter's squad at the Petersen Events Center. 

Pitt was led by seasoned scorers Michael Young and James Robinson, who tallied 16 and 17 points, respectively, in the loss. Young also notched 12 boards and three dimes while Robinson tied Jamel Artis with a team-high four assists. 

Purdue will look to keep its undefeated streak rolling Dec. 5 against New Mexico. 

Miami Outlasts Scrappy Nebraska, 77-72, in OT

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Miami bounced back from a 78-77 upset loss to Northeastern with a character-building win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in overtime Tuesday evening to move to 6-1. 

The Hurricanes' execution wasn't always pretty—evidenced by 41.4 percent shooting from the field, 28.6 percent shooting from three and 14 turnovers—but a 9-4 edge in the extra session was enough to escape with a victory. 

Angel Rodriguez (15 points) was one of five Miami players to finish in double-figures, but the Hurricanes simply didn't have an answer for Nebraska forward Shavon Shields. 

The senior ran roughshod over Miami's defense to the tune of 28 points on 11-of-25 shooting, which marked the seventh time in eight games he finished in double-figures. 

And even though Nebraska shot a prolific 50 percent from three, Miami got to the line a staggering 28 times—16 more than the Huskers—to gain a final edge. 

No. 9 UNC Slays No. 2 Maryland, 89-81

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

The Terrapins were ultimately doomed by 22 turnovers, but make no mistake about it: Tuesday night's clash between Maryland and North Carolina was an offensive showcase. 

While there were standouts at seemingly every position on the floor, Maryland guard Melo Trimble stole the show with a game-high 23 points and 12 assists, one of which came on the back-end of a filthy ankle-breaker, as ESPN College Basketball documented on Twitter: 

"

Melo Trimble...ankle breaker » https://t.co/YMCHpDGfji

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) December 2, 2015"

Plays like those had ESPN's Dick Vitale praising the Terps' rising star, who scored or assisted on 64 percent of Maryland's points Tuesday night, per ESPN College Basketball.   

On the winning side, North Carolina's Marcus Paige made his highly-anticipated return to the floor after sitting out the Tar Heels' first six games with a right hand injury. As expected, Paige paced the Tar Heels on a night when they were shot 53.2 percent from the field and a stunning 69.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Paige finished with 20 points on a tidy 7-of-12 shooting, and he received plenty of help from fellow starters Kennedy Meeks (12 points, six rebounds), Brice Johnson (16 points, six rebounds) and Joel Berry (14 points, five assists).

Tuesday was also a historic night for Paige, as ESPN Stats & Info pointed out: 

Maryland made a legitimate run in the second stanza after entering halftime down six, but North Carolina's depth proved to be the difference as the two sides matched each other shot-for-shot during key moments in the second half.