The Big Ten has taken a commanding lead on the ACC in its annual challenge so far with five wins in the first five games. Below is a look at whose stock has risen and fallen so far during this year's event. Check back throughout Tuesday and Wednesday night's action because this post will be updated as more games are completed.
STOCK RISING: SPIKE ALBRECHT
The more Spike Albrecht contributes at Michigan, the harder it is to believe the lightly recruited point guard once was headed to Appalachian State before the Wolverines finally showed interest. Albrecht rewarded Michigan coach John Beilein for that decision once again Tuesday night with a brilliant performance in a 68-65 victory over Syracuse. He shredded the Orange's trademark two-three zone for 11 points, 9 assists and 0 turnovers and sank the game's biggest shot, a go-ahead 3-pointer after Syracuse had rallied to tie it at 63 in the final minute. The last time Albrecht played this well on a national stage, he tweeted Michigan native Kate Upton asking her out on a date after the 2013 national title game. As well as Albrecht played Tuesday, don't be surprised if he takes another shot.
STOCK FALLING: SYRACUSE'S BALL SECURITY
How did Syracuse manage to lose a game in which it shot more than 50 percent from the field and held Michigan to under 40 percent? Albrecht's brilliance was a factor as were the Wolverines' 17 offensive boards, but in reality, much of the damage was self-inflicted. Syracuse committed 19 turnovers in its 68-65 loss, none more costly than two in the final seconds with the Orange trailing by just one. First, freshman Chris McCullough rebounded a missed free throw by Michigan's Derrick Walton but threw his outlet pass out of bounds. Then after Caris LeVert also missed the front end of a 1 and 1 to keep the Orange within one, freshman Kaleb Joseph squandered that chance by dribbling into traffic and losing the ball. The sequence was a reminder of what Syracuse lost when Tyler Ennis turned pro after his freshman year. While Joseph will be a fine player in time, he's neither as steady nor as poised as Ennis and the Orange don't have another true point guard on their roster.
STOCK RISING: EMMITT HOLT
One of Indiana's biggest weaknesses so far this season has been the lack of a reliable big man. Hanner Mosquera-Perea hasn't proven reliable enough to make the transition from role player to interior focal point and none of Indiana's young big men seemed ready for that kind of responsibility. That changed Tuesday night when freshman Emmitt Holt enjoyed a breakout night at Pittsburgh's expense. The 6-foot-7 forward scored 15 points on 6 of 6 shooting and added five rebounds and two blocks, helping Indiana to a comfortable 81-69 victory. Holt is a little undersized to be a rim protector and a little raw as a low-post threat, but he showed good hands and touch around the rim when Pittsburgh big men left him free to help on Indiana's slashing guards. If he can do that while also defending and rebounding, he'll be a much-needed backup at worst and perhaps supplant Mosquera-Perea in the starting lineup before too long.
STOCK FALLING: PITTSBURGH'S DEFENSE
The myth that Pittsburgh is a good defensive team hasn't been true for years, but this might finally be the season even those who aren't paying attention finally stop spouting it. The Panthers are so inept on that end of the floor they make bad offensive teams look competent and good ones look unstoppable. Pittsburgh played an extended man-to-man against Indiana in hopes of eliminating the 3-point shot, so the Hoosiers carved up the Panthers off dribble, sinking 17 of 28 shots and scoring 24 points in the paint. Switching to a 2-3 zone did little to help Pittsburgh either in the second half as Yogi Ferrell, Robert Johnson and others continued to find driving lanes. Indiana extended an eight-point halftime lead to as many as 23 en route to an easy 81-69 victory. Poor defense against the hot-shooting Hoosiers wouldn't be alarming if it were a one-time only problem but it's no aberration. A mediocre Hawaii team shot 52 percent from the field in an upset victory over Pittsburgh on Nov. 21. Division II Chaminade shot 51 percent from the field a few nights later. And defense-oriented San Diego State shot an absurd 58.7 percent in a 74-57 rout of the Panthers.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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