In the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the leagues fight for the early-season ego stroke coveted by athletic directors and presidents more than any collective gains that may impact decisions in March. The NCAA selection committee does not reward teams according to conference affiliation.

A North Carolina win over Indiana this week would not improve Wake Forest's long odds of earning an at-large berth, and a Michigan State victory at Duke would not end Northwestern's term in postseason purgatory.

But the ACC/Big Ten Challenge -- tied at 1-1 after Florida State defeated Minnesota and Northwestern held off Wake Forest on Monday night -- does create a platform to boost the individual résumés of the teams involved. That results in the increase or decrease of their respective RPIs and affects quality-win opportunities for their opponents -- while answering some of the early questions about two of the nation's top conferences.

The ACC, which hasn't won the Challenge since 2008, owns the "best conference in America" title right now -- and it's not close. The Big Ten needs a few significant wins to prove it's still capable of matching the preseason hype.

Let's explore the good, the bad and the ugly of both leagues thus far.

ACC

THE GOOD

Duke's depth

Duke has a lot of talent -- a lot of big-name talent -- sitting out with injury. Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Capel should wear a tux and a bow tie on the Duke bench this season. The maestro of this talent infusion in Durham deserves more credit than he tends to receive for Mike Krzyzewski's impact in the one-and-done era.

So we all knew Duke had enough talent to withstand the ongoing absences of injured five-star prospects Harry Giles, Marques Bolden and Jayson Tatum. But who knew the Blue Devils would play like this?

The four-guard lineup featuring Matt Jones, Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen and Frank Jackson anchors the most efficient offense in America, per KenPom.com. Even without the size they'll have once the gifted freshman trio returns, Duke has connected on 47.3 percent of its shots against man-to-man schemes and 54.2 percent against zone, per Synergy Sports.

They're playing without three potential lottery picks!

This is ridiculous. Beautiful, but ridiculous.

North Carolina's frontcourt

Marcus Paige departed after last season and North Carolina seemed destined to endure a few setbacks following its loss to Villanova in the national title game.

Yet the Tar Heels now seem capable of challenging Duke in the ACC and finishing what they started in Houston last season, with the help of a dominant presence in the paint.

Isaiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks and Tony Bradley comprise the nation's best frontcourt. Bradley is leading the nation in offensive rebounding percentage. Meeks is second.

North Carolina's opponents have connected on just 41 percent of their shots inside the arc.

Star power

The league is stacked with studs this season. NC State's Dennis Smith Jr. (19.8 points per game) is one of eight NBA prospects from the ACC listed in Chad Ford's top 30 right now. Florida State's Jonathan Isaac could evolve into a young NBA standout in the coming years. Tony Bradley is a force in the post.

But veterans like Grayson Allen, Michael Young, Jaron Blossomgame, Joel Berry II and Andrew White III also help make the ACC America's must-see league right now.

The league's unrivaled depth

A lot could happen between today and Selection Sunday. But the ACC might lock down an abundance of NCAA tournament berths. Entering the week, five ACC squads were ranked among the top 10 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index, 11 were in the top 50 and 13 were in the top 60.

Hard to find a bad team in the ACC.

THE BAD

Blown leads

In the NIT Season Tip-off in New York, Florida State surrendered a late 12-point lead in a loss to Temple. That's a modest collapse compared to the 22-point edge Louisville gave up in its loss to Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game last week. Embarrassing finishes for both programs.

Incomplete squads

Yes, the ACC is America's best league. But it's not yet whole. Duke isn't the only squad that's ailing right now. Virginia will never know how Memphis transfer Austin Nichols might have helped the squad now that he has been kicked off the team.

Theo Pinson's foot injury and indefinite absence has cost North Carolina a talented wing. NC State's Maverick Rowan has missed the past five games with a concussion, and Omer Yurtseven is still serving a nine-game NCAA suspension for his time playing with a Turkish pro team.

Syracuse freshman star Taurean Thompson was on crutches after suffering an ankle injury against Monmouth on Nov. 18. He's back, but multiple ACC teams are either waiting for some of their best players to return or preparing to move on without them.

THE UGLY

Everything Virginia's first six opponents tried to do

Perhaps you've heard about the Cavs holding three consecutive opponents under 40 points. Impressive. But St. Francis (N.Y.), Yale and Grambling State ain't exactly world-beaters, right? Well, in their next two games, the Cavs held Iowa and Providence to 93 points ... combined.

Forget the box scores. Virginia's opponents, thus far, have played with the facial expressions of folks who've been strapped into scary roller coasters without their consent. The No. 1 defense in America is making everything their opponents attempt look ugly.

Big Ten

THE GOOD

Caleb Swanigan has worked his body and game into shape. AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Caleb Swanigan's growth

Few players in America have matched the 6-foot-9, 247-pound forward's transformation since he landed in West Lafayette. The former 344-pound eighth-grader now looks the part of an NBA forward. His new body has helped him become one of the nation's most promising frontcourt talents, a sophomore who has connected on 61.2 percent of his shots inside the arc. He's the most complete player in the Big Ten, capable of scoring from the perimeter (5-for-8 from the 3-point line) or dominating in the paint. "Fortunate to coach guys like [Swanigan] who make me better," Purdue strength coach Josh Bonhotal recently tweeted. "His drive and work ethic is off the charts!"

Showtime in Bloomington

Tom Crean's squad lost at IPFW last week, but the Hoosiers remain the Big Ten's best shot at a Final Four trip, it seems. Why? Well, a staggering offense that connected on 48 percent of its 3-pointers in the team's season-opening win over Kansas in Honolulu is a sign that Indiana can still fill it up and tussle with any squad in the country.

Northwestern's strides

The Wildcats secured their first nonconference victory over a Top 25 team in the Chris Collins era when they defeated then-No. 22 Texas in last week's Legends Classic. They lost to No. 18 Butler by just two points at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Under Collins, Northwestern has never finished among KenPom.com's top 50 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency in the same season, but right now the Wildcats are 44th and 51st, respectively. They've connected on 44 percent of their 3-pointers and 77 percent of their free throw attempts. And Vic Law (17.7 PPG, 54.5 percent from the 3-point line) could earn an all-Big Ten first-team slot at this pace. Only a fool would suggest Northwestern has no shot at its first NCAA tournament berth.

THE BAD

Fort Wayne

Yeah ... that happened, Hoosiers fans. And star James Blackmon Jr. suffered a knee injury in the loss that could keep him in street clothes against North Carolina on Wednesday.

Iowa's limitations

Peter Jok is averaging 25.3 PPG on a team that's 3-3 in its first six games. The "Let Peter Eat" philosophy would work well in a local rec league. But it's not a great strategy for a Division I team that has failed to identify offensive weapons who don't wear No. 14.

Ohio State at the free throw line

The undefeated Buckeyes excel in critical areas of the game. But they've connected on a putrid 59.5 percent of their free throws. Ugh.

THE UGLY

Turnover problems

The Big Ten can't hold onto the ball. Per KenPom.com, Wisconsin (20.4 percent), Rutgers (20.5), Purdue (21.2), Iowa (21.4), Illinois (21.9), Michigan State (22.2) and Indiana (23.4) have all committed turnovers on at least one-fifth of their possessions. That's half the conference. Only three teams (Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern) are ranked within the top 100 in offensive turnover percentage. Remember this stat throughout the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Top 25 exit a good thing for Texas, Shaka Smart?

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Texas wanted Smart because it knew he could build something with a Longhorns program that enjoyed some rich years under former coach Rick Barnes. Smart has elevated talent throughout his career, so the idea was reasonable.

But Smart's solid reputation probably inflated preseason expectations for a young Texas team that fell from the Top 25 this week after double-digit losses to Northwestern and Colorado in last week's Legends Classic.

The Longhorns are raw and troubled right now. Their 29 percent mark from the 3-point line and 17.2 defensive turnover percentage would represent career lows for a team coached by Smart. Now, however, talented young prospects like Andrew Jones and Jarrett Allen can focus on enhancing their chemistry with the returning underclassmen on Smart's roster without a magnified national spotlight.

The pressure is still real, though. The Texas team that struggled last week will finish in the bottom half of the Big 12 if it fails to address its flaws in the coming weeks.

Lual-Acuil's growth helps Baylor

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. missed all of last season, after transferring from junior college, because of a problem with his heart. But the 7-footer has helped Baylor crack the top 10 this season and demonstrated few signs of any rust after that redshirt season. He has connected on 68 percent of his shots inside the arc and he's averaging 4.2 blocks per game.

Baylor coach Scott Drew said the Sudanese prospect's evolution has expanded the depth of a squad with wins over Louisville, Oregon and Michigan State. It is the nation's best résumé right now.

"Our team depth has been really important to our success," Drew told ESPN.com. "That and the players returning have all improved. Additions from Jo, Manu [Lecomte] and [Wendell] Mitchell have been big, too."

The Fran Dunphy effect

Let's see ... missing three starters from last season's 21-win squad? Still waiting for injured talents Josh Brown (8.3 PPG and 4.9 APG last season) and Trey Lowe (4.8 PPG, 79 percent from the free throw line in 2015-16) to play for the first time this season? Can you do anything with that, Fran Dunphy?

Sure you can. Listen, Temple is not a great team. But the Owls do own a couple of good wins after last week's surprising victories over Florida State and West Virginia in the NIT Season Tip-off.

That rally followed a pair of losses to New Hampshire and UMass. But Dunphy's squad achieved last week's feat without his starting point guard (Brown). Not bad for an incomplete team picked to finish sixth in the AAC prior to the season.

Lonzo Ball vs. De'Aaron Fox is the point guard matchup we need

Lonzo Ball has been putting on a show. What happens when he goes up against Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox? Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire

We don't deserve Saturday's clash between point gods Ball and Fox. UCLA's Ball is one of the most explosive and exciting players in the game. And Kentucky's Fox recorded a triple-double against Arizona State -- just the second triple-double in school history -- in the Bahamas on Monday night.

This deserves as much hype as Buddy Hield vs. Ben Simmons in last year's Oklahoma-LSU nonconference matchup. And those two didn't guard one another throughout the game.

We hope to see Ball (16.0 PPG, 9.1 APG) and Fox (15.3 PPG, 7.6 APG) in one-on-one battles during Saturday's matchup at Rupp Arena.