Lenox Rawlings: It's still early, but ACC basketball needs a boost

In the first hours of December, college basketball results seem comparable to presidential vote totals at 7:02 p.m. on election day.

"This just in from Kentucky: With 3 percent of precincts reporting, the Democrats have grabbed the early lead, 52 percent to 48 percent. The race is still too close to call."

Any experienced witness to the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge can find appropriate analogies. Even so, the Big Ten's 8-4 victory casts the ACC in shadows that could linger through the selection process next March. The league already looked incurably weak at the bottom, and several teams took another step backward.

Ohio State won the marquee game against Duke and validated its stature as an elite national contender. The Buckeyes, an established team playing at home, upheld their favorite's role 85-63 behind a confident blend of Jared Sullinger's inside power and William Buford's perimeter firepower.

The real news: Coach Mike Krzyzewski wondered whether he could keep the spread under 30 after Ohio State exposed the Blue Devils' current limitations. The defense couldn't generate the pressure necessary for a long-range comeback.

Only freshman Austin Rivers can break down a defense and create a shot. Given his background as a scorer, Rivers naturally hasn't mastered the art of locating open shooters while driving, but eventually he will find that balance. Whether Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins will hit shots is another matter.

Krzyzewski has barely begun his remodeling work, which eventually could turn freshman Quinn Cook into the primary point guard and free Curry to take wing jumpers in rhythm. This perpetual reformulation is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Krzyzewski's process.

North Carolina fired blanks and barely guarded the perimeter during its 90-80 loss at Nevada-Las Vegas on Saturday. Adding abysmal foul shooting and rebounding to the mix produces the upset formula, squared.

After relinquishing the preseason No. 1 crown — made from aluminum foil and cardboard, as usual — the Tar Heels rallied against Wisconsin's methodical torture. They dominated the boards, converted 19 of 24 foul shots and contained point guard Jordan Taylor (3 for 11 on 3-pointers) in a 60-57 win that sets the table for a showdown against No. 1 Kentucky.

Whatever the outcome, the Tar Heels are far from a finished product three months removed from the big roundup. Instant analysis might portray Carolina and Duke as slightly less than the sum of their parts, but they're still top-10 teams that could dominate the league again.

The Big Ten's third straight challenge win (after 10 straight series losses) revealed some cold facts about the ACC. No. 1: It doesn't have a No. 3 team. FSU reserved the spot in recent seasons, but consecutive losses to Harvard, UConn and Michigan State (65-49, with four 3-pointers in 20 launches) suggest otherwise.

Virginia threw its hat in the No. 3 ring, beating Michigan. So did N.C. State, despite coughing up a seven-point lead in the final eight minutes and losing by 11 to Indiana. The Wolfpack has more talent than generally assumed, with Lorenzo Brown and Scott Wood emerging as dangerous scorers.

Coach Mark Gottfried is a smart veteran with sufficient fire to ignite the engine and enough reassuring patience to counsel immature players. If he can coax C.J. Leslie and other big fellows into basketball adulthood, the Wolfpack could make a giant leap fairly soon.

Wake Forest, picked 11th, and coach Jeff Bzdelik jumped for joy when C.J. Harris drove through Nebraska's defense for a winning layup in the closing seconds. After a narrow loss to reputable Dayton and a win against Texas Tech, the road breakthrough signaled an uptick in form, composure and confidence.

The Deacons' winter could be warmer than widely predicted. For much of the ACC, though, the challenge produced weather models heavy on steel gray skies and extremely light on light at the end of the February tunnel.