ACC/SEC Challenge 2023: Men's Scores, Highlights and Reaction from Wednesday

Mitchell Layton/

The ACC has some work to do.

While the SEC is traditionally known as the football powerhouse compared to the ACC's rich history of success in men's basketball, the former took the early lead in the 2023 ACC/SEC Challenge with four wins during Tuesday's seven-game slate.

Wednesday was a chance for the ACC to bounce back with seven more games on the schedule, including a high-profile clash between No. 10 Tennessee and No. 17 North Carolina.

With that in mind, here is a look at the scores for Wednesday's results.

Wednesday's Schedule and Scores

No. 17 North Carolina defeats No. 10 Tennessee, 100-92

Virginia defeats No. 14 Texas A&M, 59-47

Wake Forest defeats Florida, 82-71

No. 7 Duke at Arkansas, 9:15 p.m. ET

Boston College at Vanderbilt, 9:15 p.m. ET

Georgia at Florida State, 9:15 p.m. ET

Virginia Tech at Auburn, 9:15 p.m. ET

No. 17 North Carolina defeats No. 10 Tennessee, 100-92

No game on Wednesday's slate is likely to carry as much weight on Selection Sunday as the one between No. 17 North Carolina and No. 10 Tennessee, and the Tar Heels earned a marquee 100-92 victory thanks to a dominant first half.

The home team exploded for 61 points before intermission, although it took its foot off the gas in the second half and allowed the Volunteers to close a 22-point halftime deficit to as little as six in the final two minutes.

Four Tar Heels scored in double figures, including Armando Bacot (22 points, 11 rebounds and three assists), RJ Davis (27 points and four rebounds) and Harrison Ingram (20 points, six rebounds and three steals).

Tennessee can at least take solace in the fact it made the final score much more respectable with its late push. Dalton Knecht was unstoppable as he tallied 37 points and six rebounds behind 13-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from deep, but he rolled his left ankle and was sidelined for the end of the game.

Unfortunately for the Volunteers, they leave their stretch of three straight daunting contests against Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina without a single win.

Virginia defeats No. 14 Texas A&M, 59-47

North Carolina wasn't the only ACC team to earn a victory over a ranked SEC team Wednesday.

Virginia defended home-court advantage with a 59-47 win over No. 14 Texas A&M thanks to a strong defensive effort. The Aggies shot an ugly 30.4 percent from the field and 17.4 percent from deep with 16 turnovers as the Cavaliers' stifling style of play kept them in check.

All five starters scored in double figures for Virginia with Andrew Rohde leading the way with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The Cavaliers also have wins over West Virginia and Florida this season and will have plenty of momentum going into their conference opener against Syracuse on Saturday. As for the Aggies, they have now lost two of three following a 5-0 start to the campaign and will look to bounce back Wednesday against DePaul.

Wake Forest defeats Florida, 82-71

Wake Forest needed a notable win this season, and it got one with an 82-71 victory over Florida on Wednesday.

While the Demon Deacons lost to Georgia, Utah and LSU earlier this season, they bounced back in impressive fashion against the Gators thanks to a late surge. The game was tied heading into the final four minutes, but Cameron Hildreth scored eight points down the stretch and helped his team pull away.

He finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists but was not the leading scorer for Wake Forest.

That honor went to Hunter Sallis, who poured in 24 points to go with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Andrew Carr also impressed with 22 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Florida's inability to close the game took away from a solid showing in defeat from Riley Kugel, who had 24 points and five rebounds.