Although there wasn’t a conference crowned the champion of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge because of a tied 6-6 outcome, plenty of story lines and questions emerged from the event. We take a glance into some intriguing aspects seen in the challenge.

Syracuse Backcourt is Special

There was a big void to fill at Syracuse with the departures of Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche, but freshman point guard Tyler Ennis and junior shooting guard Trevor Cooney showed in a 69-52 win over Indiana that they are more than capable of taking over the backcourt.

Ennis impressed in an all-around display with 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting to go with eight assists, seven rebounds, and only one turnover in 38 minutes of action. He’s a mature, pass-first floor general who makes an impact in all areas of the game.

Cooney adds a lights-out shooter next to Ennis. In the win over Indiana, Cooney had a game-high 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting with a 5-for-9 showing from three-point range. With his ability to stretch the floor, Cooney opens up driving lanes and leaves a risky decision for defenders who leave him to play help defense. With the new backcourt leading Syracuse, the Orange are a legitimate championship contender.

"They played well. They really have the whole Hawaii trip," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said of Ennis and Cooney in an article by Brent Axe of Syracuse.com.

"Those two kids have really played well. One is a first-year player and the other guy didn't play a lot last year. I don't think you could ask them to play on a higher level than what they played. It's really amazing the level they have played. They have really picked up the whole team. I don't think you can say enough about the way they played this year."

Cook Shows Potential

Duke may have two future lottery picks in Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood, but it was sophomore point guard Quinn Cook who led the Blue Devils to their biggest win of the early season.

Cook did it all, with 24 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and two steals in the victory. Despite Jabari Parker’s lowest scoring outcome of the season, Duke was never panicked because of the stellar play from its point guard.

“Quinn was magnificent,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski told Steve Wiseman of The Herald Sun. “Even though he didn’t score in the first half he managed the team well. We told him to be very aggressive in the second half.”

If Cook can remain a consistent scoring option for Duke then the Blue Devils will be tough to defeat. Another scoring option would certainly help relieve Parker and Hood, who are combining for 48% of Duke’s total scoring.

Rice Playing Inspired

Despite a 67-64 loss to Georgia Tech, Rayvonte Rice of Illinois showed that he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder this season.

The hometown native of Champaign wasn’t offered a scholarship to Illinois out of high school and signed with Drake, where he averaged 13.8 points per game during his freshman season and 16.8 in his sophomore year. When Bruce Weber was fired and John Groce replaced him, Rice saw an opportunity to transfer to his dream school and Groce was more than accepting of a new addition. "I don't know if I've seen a guy who's sitting out on a transfer make the number of strides that Ray did," Groce told Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune. "It's hard for guys … to understand that there's a light at the end of the tunnel and they have to grind every day to get to that light. He grinded."

After sitting out last season due to transfer rules, Rice is averaging 18 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this year. He had 24 points against Georgia Tech on 8-for-15 shooting.

Charles Odum from the AP added, “Rice, a junior transfer from Drake, is the first player to score in double figures in his first eight games at Illinois since Kiwane Garris opened his career with 10 straight games of 10 or more points in the 1993-94 season.”

With the loss of Brandon Paul, Illinois needed the talent that Rice has provided.

Michigan Misses Burke

It’s surprising that a team who returned three potential first round picks is 5-3 early on with losses to Iowa State and Charlotte, but Michigan is off to a slow start which was highlighted in a 79-69 defeat to Duke. It wasn’t a game the Wolverines were expected to win, but the ten-point margin seemed much closer than the game actually looked.

Michigan has gotten decent play at the point guard position from freshman Derrick Walton, but there are big shoes to fill when replacing the National Player of the Year. Burke simply took this team to another level that this year’s team lacks. Walton is averaging less than half the amount of points (8.6) and assists (3.0) that Burke did last season (18.6 and 6.7). Again, it’s a very tough position for the freshman to be thrown in, but it shows exactly how big Burke was to the lineup.

“I think I just need to keep remaining confident in myself, and the inconsistency will go out the window,” Walton told Adam Renuart of isportsweb.com.

Despite being held without a field goal against Duke, Nik Stauskas has shown his scoring ability by scoring 20 points or more in five of the seven games he’s played in this season. He was also returning from an ankle injury, which may have limited his impact. Caris LeVert has also shown progress, but this team is far from where they want to be.

However, we must remember that it’s still early in the season and the youngsters will adjust. Head coach John Beilein added, “They are 19 year old kids trying to figure things out, and the coaches don’t have all the answers either. It’s a game.”

We Still Don’t Know UNC

With wins over Michigan State and Louisville, the Tar Heels could be considered a top ten team. But, then again, with losses to Belmont and UAB, North Carolina may just be the most unpredictable group in the country.

Part of the equation may revolve around sophomore point guard Marcus Paige. When Paige scores over 20 points, UNC is 3-0, but when he scores under the 20 point mark, the Tar Heels are 2-2. With such a reliance on Paige’s scoring, North Carolina must get points from Paige each game. He’s also the only threat from behind the arc, as Paige has taken 66 percent of North Carolina’s attempts from three point range. Even more shockingly, he’s made 86 percent of the team’s three pointers.

There’s also the uncertainty of a backup scoring option. Brice Johnson, James Michael McAdoo, and J.P. Tokoto have shown flashes of supporting this role, but there’s a lack of consistency in the scoring department.

North Carolina has been the most unpredictable team this season, but the win over Michigan State will be a quality victory on the resume during the selection process.

"You can't tell in college basketball what's going to happen," North Carolina head coach Williams said to CBS Sports. Safe to say, this will be a long, fun season.