Chance Mallory scored 16 points for Virginia, which jumped out early and cruised past Texas 88-69 Wednesday night in Austin in an ACC/SEC Challenge game that marked the programs’ first meeting.
Despite that defeat, the Southeastern Conference, which trailed 6-3 after Tuesday’s games, was 6-1 Wednesday — with UVA registering the Atlantic Coast Conference’s only victory. The SEC won the challenge 9-7 overall, though the outcome had to be far more palatable for the ACC than its 2-14 record in the event last season.
Virginia had a double-digit lead from the 11-minute mark on and closed the first half on a 12-4 surge for a 46-27 advantage at the break. Johann Grunloh scored 12 and Jacari White made three 3s and scored all 10 of his points in the first half for the Cavaliers, who shot 52% (16 of 31) and 50% (9 of 18) from long range before halftime.
Virginia (7-1) had its largest lead, 68-41, with 11:04 remaining.
Grunloh finished with 15 points for the Cavaliers. Thijs De Ridder added 13 points and Malik Thomas scored 11.
Virginia entered averaging a program-record 28.6 3-point attempts per game. The Cavaliers shot 12 of 24 from long range against the Longhorns, with eight players hitting at least one.
Dailyn Swain scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had four assists to lead Texas (6-3). Jordan Pope chipped in with 10 points.
Also in the ACC/SEC Challenge:
No. 25 Arkansas 89, No. 6 Louisville 80: Trevon Brazile scored 21 points to lead five Arkansas players in double figures. Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas added 17 points apiece.
Coach John Calipari moved to 20-8 all-time against the Cardinals, with a majority of those wins coming when he coached Kentucky from 2009-2024. But with Calipari in just his second season in Fayetteville, he relied on a longtime Arkansas player to lead the way.
Brazile, in his fourth season with the Razorbacks, was the only player who stayed on the roster when Calipari took over for Eric Musselman ahead of the 2024-25 season. Brazile scored 21 points, including 17 in the first half, on 8-of-11 shooting.
The Cardinals (7-1), who led the nation coming in with a 33-point victory margin, made just 8 of 37 3-point tries.
No. 12 Alabama 90, Clemson 84: Labaron Philon tied his career high with 29 points, Amari Allen added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Alabama won in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide (6-2) led by 19 and then had to rally down the stretch after Clemson (7-2) took a two-point lead with 2:41 to play. RJ Godfrey led the Tigers with 19 points.
No. 20 Auburn 83, NC State 73: Kevin Overton scored a career-high 29 points, Keyshawn Hall added 28 and the Tigers (7-2) won their 65th consecutive home game against nonconference opponents, the longest streak in the nation.
Overton also pulled down nine rebounds. He hit 8 of 13 shots, 6 of 9 from 3-point range, and sank all seven free throws. Quadir Copeland led the Wolfpack (5-3) with 22 points.
No. 17 Vanderbilt 88, SMU 69: Tyler Tanner scored a career-high 26 points as Vandy (9-0) improved to 11-1 at home against the Mustangs. Former James Madison coach Mark Byington has won back-to-back games in the ACC/SEC Challenge to start his tenure with the Commodores. They beat Virginia Tech last season.
Mississippi State 85, Georgia Tech 73: Josh Hubbard scored 25 points, nine in a key stretch of the second half, as MSU (4-4) won in Atlanta.
The Bulldogs led 55-49 with 11 minutes remaining in the second half before Hubbard scored their next nine points on two 3-pointers and a three-point trip to the free-throw line. They led 66-51 with about nine minutes left, and the Yellow Jackets (5-4) did not get within single digits the rest of the way despite Kowacie Reeves Jr.’s 23 points and nine rebounds.
LSU 78, Boston College 69, OT: Dedan Thomas Jr. scored six of his 23 points in overtime for the visiting Tigers (8-0), and Marquet Sutton added 18 points and 13 rebounds. LSU started the extra five minutes with a 6-0 run and didn’t miss a shot in overtime, including a Max Mackinnon 3-pointer.
Luka Toews led BC with 14 points, and Landstown High graduate Donald Hand Jr. had 12.
