The ACC-Big Ten Challenge is deceased, if you didn't hear.
COD: Television contracts.
Lucky for us, though, ESPN has replaced the annual event with the ACC/SEC Challenge that gets underway Tuesday night with seven matchups, the most compelling of which is Miami vs. Kentucky inside Rupp Arena. Those are the schools ranked No. 8 (Miami) and No. 12 (Kentucky) in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the seventh consecutive day.
For what it's worth, UK is listed as a 5.5-point favorite at home over Miami, which returned three starters from a team that played in the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Meantime, Kentucky has two starters, and three rotation pieces, who played in the 2023 McDonald's All-American game. So it'll be interesting to see how the Wildcats' freshmen handle the experience that guys like Wooga Poplar, Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier bring to the court.
"It's going to be a great environment," said Kentucky coach John Calipari, whose Wildcats are 5-1 with the lone loss coming to Kansas in the Champions Classic. "You know, Miami is so well-coached and has really good players — plays four guards and all of them can beat you by themselves. They have got a big guy [Omier] similar to [UK's] Tre [Mitchell] with a high motor. And, so, they're really, really good."
Miami enters this non-league showdown with a perfect 5-0 record featuring victories over the teams ranked 41st (Kansas State), 78th (UCF) and 82nd (Georgia) at KenPom.com. After the game at Kentucky, the Hurricanes will open ACC play Saturday with a home contest against Notre Dame.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds in Wednesday's 78-75 win over Marquette. The Boilermakers' next game is Tuesday against Texas Southern. | -- | 4-0 |
| 2 |  | Marquette allowed Purdue to shoot 50.8% from the field in Wednesday's 78-75 loss to the Boilermakers. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday against Southern. | -- | 4-0 |
| 3 |  | Caleb Love finished with 17 points and four assists in Thursday's 74-68 win over Michigan State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Colgate. | -- | 2-0 |
| 4 |  | Kyle Filipowski finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds in Friday's 80-62 win over Southern Indiana. The Blue Devils' next game is Wednesday at Arkansas. | -- | 2-1 |
| 5 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds in Wednesday's 69-60 win over Tennessee. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Eastern Illinois. | -- | 3-0 |
| 6 |  | LJ Cryer finished with 24 points and four rebounds in Friday's 79-44 win over Montana. The Cougars' next game is Friday at Xavier. | -- | 2-1 |
| 7 |  | Donovan Clingan finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 84-64 win over New Hampshire. The Huskies' next game is Friday at Kansas. | -- | 3-0 |
| 8 |  | Nijel Pack finished with 28 points and two rebounds in Sunday's 91-83 win over Kansas State. The Hurricanes' next game is Tuesday at Kentucky. | -- | 2-0 |
| 9 |  | Tennessee only shot 31% from the field in Wednesday's 69-60 loss to Kansas. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against North Carolina. | -- | 3-0 |
| 10 |  | RayJ Dennis finished with 24 points and eight assists in Friday's 95-91 win over Florida. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Nicholls State. | -- | 2-1 |
| 11 |  | Anton Watson finished with 32 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 69-65 win over UCLA. The Zags' next game is Tuesday against Cal State Bakersfield. | -- | 2-0 |
| 12 |  | D.J. Wagner finished with 28 points and five assists in Friday's 118-82 win over Marshall. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Miami. | -- | 3-0 |
| 13 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 84-50 win over Virginia Tech. The Owls' next game is Thursday against Liberty. | -- | 2-2 |
| 14 |  | Solomon Washington finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 73-69 win over Iowa State. The Aggies' next game is Wednesday at Virginia. | -- | 2-1 |
| 15 |  | Max Abmas finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Sunday's 86-63 win over Wyoming. The Longhorns' next game is Thursday against Texas State. | -- | 2-1 |
| 16 |  | Isaiah Stevens finished with 20 points and seven assists in Thursday's 69-48 win over Creighton. The Rams' next game is Wednesday against Colorado. | -- | 3-0 |
| 17 |  | TJ Bamba finished with 13 points and three rebounds in Friday's 79-63 win over Memphis. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Saint Joseph's. | -- | 2-3 |
| 18 |  | Trey Alexander missed 15 of the 16 shots he attempted in Thursday's 69-48 loss to Colorado State. The Bluejays' next game is Thursday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 19 |  | Harrison Ingram finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 87-72 win over Arkansas. The Tar Heels' next game is Wednesday against Tennessee. | -- | 2-1 |
| 20 |  | Michigan State only had 10 assists on 26 baskets in Thursday's 74-68 loss to Arizona. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Georgia Southern. | -- | 2-1 |
| 21 |  | Terrence Shannon finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Friday's 84-52 win over Western Illinois. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Rutgers. | -- | 3-0 |
| 22 |  | Josh Hubbard finished with 29 points and three rebounds in Sunday's 66-57 win over Northwestern. The Bulldogs' next game is Friday against Nichols State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 23 |  | Javian McCollum finished with 18 points and three assists in Friday's 72-70 win over USC. The Sooners' next game is Thursday against Arkansas Pine Bluff. | -- | 2-0 |
| 24 |  | Jaykwon Walton was 1-of-9 from the field in Friday's 79-63 loss to Villanova. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. | -- | 3-0 |
| 25 |  | Jaxson Robinson finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Friday's 95-86 win over NC State. The Cougars' next game is Friday against Fresno State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 26 |  | Dylan Andrews was 2-of-15 from the field in Wednesday's 69-65 loss to Gonzaga. The Bruins' next game is Thursday against UC Riverside. | -- | 2-1 |
