ACC: 5 things we learned from the ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Maryland F Dezmine Wells had 23 points Tuesday at Northwestern. (US Presswire)

Somehow, the ACC found a way to come out of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with the first tie in the history of the event. The league picked up four wins on Wednesday night, two of them on the road, and No. 2 Duke brought the conference all the way back with its marquee win over No. 4 Ohio State.

Here are five things we learned during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge:

1. The ACC might be deeper than most thought before the season. The ACC split with the Big Ten even though North Carolina State, North Carolina and Florida State all lost. All three of those teams were picked to finish in the top four of the league. Virginia Tech is off to a 6-0 start and looked good beating Iowa by double-digits. Virginia picked up an impressive win at Wisconsin. Miami beat Michigan State and is a different team, as expected, with PG Durand Scott back in the lineup.

2. Maryland looks like the second-best team in the conference. There are two reasons the Terrapins look to be right behind Duke currently in the ACC hierarchy. The first is the availability of SF Dezmine Wells, who scored 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting against Northwestern. The second is the consistency of C Alex Len. Len has scored in double figures in each of Maryland's six games this season, and if he continues to average 15.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, the Terrapins will be a really tough out come March.

3. Florida State and North Carolina have a lot of work to do, but they aren't finished products. Both teams were beaten handily in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. However, the Tar Heels and Seminoles are young and still have players settling into new roles. One thing both teams need is for their best players -- Florida State G Michael Snaer and North Carolina PF James Michael McAdoo -- to pick it up. Snaer is shooting 39.3 percent from the floor and averaging three turnovers per game. McAdoo needs to play better against quality competition. He was 4 for 15 from the field with 10 points against Indiana.

4. Joe Harris is more than ready to be Virginia's go-to player. Harris might be the most underrated player in the league. He had a game-high 22 points and also a team-high five assists in Virginia's 60-54 upset win at Wisconsin. Harris was 7 for 12 from inside the arc and has improved off the dribble, making plays for himself and teammates. There was a question as to who would step in to fill the void left by Mike Scott, but Harris has shown he will be the guy.

5. Wake Forest is in for another long season if it doesn't pick it up defensively. The Demon Deacons lost by 16 points at home to Nebraska, and the Cornhuskers shot 62 percent from the field in the second half. Wake is allowing opponents to shoot 45.6 percent so far this season, the worst mark in the ACC. F Travis McKie and G C.J. Harris, Wake's leading scorers, shot a combined 3 for 17 from the field and had 10 points between them. The Demon Deacons can't afford to have those two play poorly on the same night.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.