Big Ten/ACC Challenge 2017: Georgia Tech, Florida State Score Early Wins

The annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge provides the opportunity for marquee programs from the two power conferences to add impressive wins to their early resumes, and the 2017 edition is no different.

The ACC, which won last year's battle with nine victories in 14 games, jumped out to an initial lead Monday when Syracuse edged Maryland by two points and Virginia beat Wisconsin in a low-scoring 49-37 affair.

With five games Tuesday, including a showdown between No. 17 Louisville and a Purdue team coming off a win over Arizona, the Big Ten had the chance to answer back. With that in mind, here is a look at the results from Tuesday's challenge games as well as a brief breakdown of each.

Tuesday Scores

Georgia Tech beats Northwestern, 52-51

Florida State beats Rutgers, 78-73

Purdue beats Louisville, 66-57

Virginia Tech beats Iowa, 79-55

Wake Forest beats Illinois, 80-73

Tuesday Results

Georgia Tech over Northwestern

Georgia Tech kept momentum on the ACC's side in the most dramatic way possible Tuesday.

Tadric Jackson sliced through Northwestern's defense on the final possession and hit the game-winning layup right before the buzzer rang to give the Yellow Jackets the 52-51 win. His buzzer-beater came right after Dererk Pardon grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put Northwestern ahead with seven seconds remaining.

Georgia Tech was in full control for much of the contest and held a 47-37 advantage with less than seven minutes remaining, but Bryant McIntosh spearheaded a 12-0 Northwestern run to put the Wildcats ahead before the dramatic finish.

McIntosh finished with a game-high 18 points, while Pardon notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. However, their efforts weren't enough, as Ben Lammers led Georgia Tech with 13 points and six rebounds before Jackson played the role of hero with his ninth and 10th points.

Florida State over Rutgers

Florida State continued the ACC's dominance in the second contest to go final Tuesday, notching a 78-73 victory over Rutgers without much of the late drama featured in the first game.

The Seminoles led by one at halftime and built their second-half advantage up to eight multiple times, including with less than 30 seconds remaining on a CJ Walker layup. The Scarlet Knights never went away and actually took the lead in the second half, but they never led after Walker tied the contest with a three-pointer with just more than 13 minutes left.

Walker carried the offense for extended stretches and finished with a game-high 24 points thanks in large part to 10 made free throws. Phil Cofer added 19 points for the victorious Seminoles.

Rutgers received impressive performances from Eugene Omoruyi (22 points and five rebounds), Corey Sanders (20 points, five assists and four rebounds) and Deshawn Freeman (15 points and 16 rebounds), but it was to no avail.

Purdue over Louisville

Purdue finally got the Big Ten on the board and continued to bounce back from losses to Tennessee and Western Kentucky with a 66-57 victory over Louisville that figures to resonate in March when the selection committee is evaluating resumes.

The Boilermakers trailed the back-and-forth affair with less than three minutes remaining, but a three-pointer from Dakota Mathias put them ahead for good. In all, Purdue closed on a 15-5 run behind a balanced scoring attack from its top three contributors Tuesday.

Mathias finished with 13 points, while Vincent Edwards challenged for a double-double with 15 points and seven rebounds. Carsen Edwards struggled from the field (2-of-11 and 0-of-6 from three) but hit nine free throws and helped ice the win with 13 points.

V.J. King carried Louisville’s offense in defeat with 17 points.

Virginia Tech over Iowa

Virginia Tech provided the first blowout of the evening with a dominant 79-55 home win over an overmatched Iowa squad.

The Hawkeyes were competitive in the early going and entered the halftime locker room tied at 38, but the Hokies rolled behind a strong defensive effort in the second half. Virginia Tech went on a 14-0 run to seize a 54-40 lead and was never challenged down the stretch as it gradually pulled away.

The Hokies' swarming defense forced 14 Hawkeyes turnovers and held the visitors to a mere 33.3 percent shooting clip from the field and 25.0 mark from three-point range.

Ahmed Hill (18 points) and P.J. Horne (16 points) spearheaded the scoring, while Kerry Blackshear Jr. helped control the paint with seven points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Cook led the way for Iowa and just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine boards.

Wake Forest over Illinois

Wake Forest gave the ACC a commanding 6-1 lead in the challenge with an 80-73 victory over Illinois to conclude Tuesday's slate.

The two sides battled in the first half with Wake Forest taking a one-point lead into intermission. Illinois took the lead early in the second half, but Wake Forest responded with an 11-0 run and never looked back. The Fighting Illini closed the gap to as little as one from there, but the Demon Deacons managed to keep the visitors at bay down the stretch.

Bryant Crawford led Wake Forest with 20 points, while Brandon Childress and Mitchell Wilbekin each added 12. The Demon Deacons shot 47.1 percent from downtown, which allowed them to overcome a 39-25 rebounding disparity.

Aaron Jordan scored 20 points for Illinois in the losing effort.