Tuesday’s college basketball schedule was heralded as one of the best nonconference days of the season. With close games, upsets and drama in marquee matchups, it’s safe to say it lived up to the hype. No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Illinois were all in action against quality opponents away from home. And two of the three went down in defeat.

Florida came away with an 81-72 road win over in-state foe Florida State to move to 2-0, while Duke received a wake-up call with a 79-73 upset loss to No. 5 Michigan State in the Champions Classic. The Fighting Illini weren’t so lucky in their road game at No. 16 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first half and held off a rally from Illinois behind 20 points from Cruz Davis in Texas Tech’s 74-68 victory. 

Champions Classic NBA Draft guide: Who scouts will be watching in college basketball’s high-profile showcase

Adam Finkelstein

Not every team playing on Tuesday walked away feeling good after a win. 

Michael Malone’s North Carolina squad only led by two points at halftime against Wyoming before pulling away in the second half for a 76-63 win. The Tar Heels also received an upset scare in their season-opener against Western Carolina last week before pulling away in the final minutes

After an intense day of hoops, here are the biggest winners and losers from the slate.

Winner: Jeremy Fears Jr. shines vs. Duke

Fears was simply brilliant against Duke. He finished with a double-double (18 points and 11 assists). The way he controls the pace of the game and runs the offense, there are not many players in the sport who do it as well as he does. Fears is the best point guard in America. The way he sets up his teammates for good looks in transition and in half-court sets is unmatched. Fears showed why he was the CBS Sports Preseason POTY. — Cameron Salerno

Loser: Duke receives a wake-up call

Tuesday should serve as a wake-up call for Duke. Not only did Michigan State beat Duke, but it also dominated from start to finish in the most impressive win by any team in college basketball this season. The Blue Devils couldn’t buy a bucket in this game. Part of it was shot selection and the other part was Michigan State’s defense, which was so good and physical that Duke couldn’t get clean looks.

The bad (maybe, good) news? Duke’s schedule gets significantly harder during the next month. Duke faces UConn and Illinois this month. Duke will certainly be tested this season. This game should serve as an early measuring stick for Scheyer’s team. — CS

Dismantling of Duke by Michigan State shows it might be time to recalibrate expectations for Blue Devils

Isaac Trotter

Loser: Bad vibes for Kentucky already?

Not only did Kentucky look disjointed and overmatched, it also looked timid and disinterested relative to the free-flowing and well-connected Jayhawks. The bench lacked energy, and it was hard not to consider the “what if” factor of Tyran Stokes. Kentucky heavily pursued Kansas’ freshman phenom, who is a Louisville native. They lost that recruiting battle and lost out on a great player who brought strong vibes to the matchup. Stokes played with an obvious intensity and joy that was clearly missing from the Kentucky side. This wasn’t as bad as bad as Kentucky’s 94-59 neutral-site loss to Gonzaga last season. But it should be a wakeup call. Early in a critical third season for coach Mark Pope, UK has a lot to figure out. — David Cobb

Winner: Texas Tech records huge win over Illinois

You could hear how loud the environment at Texas Tech was by sitting at home with your TV volume on. The atmosphere inside the arena sounded electric. Texas Tech recorded one of the most impressive wins of the season by taking down No. 3 Illinois. A rematch of this game sometime in March would be great when All-Americans on both sides (Illinois’ David Mirkovic and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin) are cleared to play. Nonetheless, Texas Tech should receive a sizeable boost in next week’s AP poll after taking down the No. 3 team in the country. — CS

Winner: Tyran Stokes has elevated

When the top-rated freshman makes jumpers, Stokes is almost unstoppable. It’s early in the cycle, but Stokes looks like a tier above the rest in the early 2027 NBA Draft discourse. The 6-foot-8 bullyball wing was phenomenal, totaling 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Kentucky had absolutely no answer for the big dawg. — Isaac Trotter

Loser: North Carolina receives a scare from Wyoming

For the second time in three games, it got scary for North Carolina. In Malone’s debut at UNC, the Tar Heels were in a close game with Western Carolina before pulling away down the stretch. Against Wyoming, UNC led by only two points at halftime before outscoring the Cowboys by double digits in the second half. With a game against Georgia looming at home later this week, the Tar Heels will have to play better or risk not escaping with a win. — CS

Winner: Florida picks up win over another in-state rival

Florida played a C+ game against Miami last week and came away with a double-digit win. Tuesday’s showdown against in-state foe Florida State was a lot more of a hostile environment than the very pro-Gators crowd Todd Golden’s team played in front of during a season opener against Miami in Tampa. FSU made things very interesting in the second half, cutting the deficit to four with less than seven minutes remaining. However, Florida was able to close things out behind another double-double (21 points and 10 rebounds) from star forward Thomas Haugh.

Florida State played teams extremely tough during Year 1 of Luke Loucks’ tenure at his alma mater. This game showed the Seminoles will make some real noise in the ACC this season. — CS

Winner: Vanderbilt makes a statement vs. Memphis

Vanderbilt made a statement with a 105-81 win vs. Memphis, which was off to a surprising 2-0 start under coach Penny Hardaway. Washington State transfer Ace Glass III knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points. Meanwhile, preseason All-American Tyler Tanner scored 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Vanderbilt is now 3-0, with double-digit wins over Wake Forest and Memphis on the resume. Memphis began the season with an upset win over Iowa State, but couldn’t take down Vanderbilt on the road. — CS