Charlotte, NC -- A new college basketball season is officially underway, and the first night held plenty of action across the country. Of the 31 games played, a whopping fifteen were decided by three points or less. 22 ranked teams opened their seasons tonight, and nine of those started off 0-1. Conspicuously, five of the ACC's seven ranked squads lost, with North Carolina and Virginia Tech earning the lone wins.

One of those ACC losses occurred here in Charlotte as the showcase game of the night came down to the last few possessions, with #2 Kentucky holding off #3 Duke by a final of 64-62. The Blue Devils were led by strong performances from Joan Wilcox, Austin Pierre-Louis, and Simon Leck. The three combined for 34 points on 13-19 shooting, including 4-7 from long range. However, the rest of the team struggled on the offensive end, and Kentucky's balanced attack prevailed. The Wildcats boasted eight players with at least five points, converting efficiently from the free throw line at a rate of 73.9%.

Overall, this game displayed many of the characteristics you might expect from the first game of the season. The turnover numbers were sky high for both teams. Kentucky gave it away 21 times, while Duke did so 20 times. Neither team shot well from the field, and the three point numbers betrayed a bit of rustiness on both sides. Thankfully, the atmosphere of a big-time college basketball showdown between two blue-bloods more than made up for the, at times, ugly basketball. Both fanbases showed up loud and proud to cheer on their respective team in the first Top 5 matchup of the season, and they witnessed a remarkable battle.

Looking towards the weekend, Duke travels out west to take on Stanford. Kentucky will head back to Lexington, where they will welcome Ohio State to Rupp Arena.