The ACC-Big Ten challenge is in its tenth year in 2008 and this year promises some key matchups; matchups that will likely separate the pre-season wannabees from the conference contenders. The schedule promises three days of action from the night of Monday the 1st to Wednesday the 3rd.
The ACC has already boasted 4 teams in this week’s AP poll with UNC clearly at the top followed by Duke (7), Wake Forest (19) and Miami (22). After this weekend and Carolina’s impressive performance in the Maui Invitational, beating Notre Dame easily in the championship game, they will certainly remain atop the standings. Wake Forest may slide up the rankings as well after a quality win against Conference USA’s UTEP, keeping them undefeated in the out-of-conference portion of their schedule.
The Big Ten, on the other hand, suffered a few tough losses during the pre-season tournament schedule but grabbed some key wins. While Big-Ten front runner, Purdue, knocked off Boston College in the second round of the NIT invitational, they lost a hard fought battle against Oklahoma in the championship game. Michigan State reversed that trend losing to an ACC contender, Maryland, then knocking off Oklahoma State.
What do we learn from all this? There’s still a lot of basketball to be played until March. Teams looked hungry. Both the Big-Ten and ACC showed a quality field of contenders that will lead to some great conference play down the road.
We will certainly continue to learn about the these teams in the next three days, with the upcoming Big Ten/ACC challenge coming up. Here’s the schedule:
Monday, Dec. 1
Wisconsin at Virginia Tech
Both teams are expected to make a quality run this year. Wisconsin more than the Hokies. Look for Bo Ryan’s squad to play with pace and confidence, as they always do. VaTech has always run the court but they have already suffered two losses to Xavier and Seton Hall. The Hokies need the win, but I like the Badgers.
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Duke at Purdue
This is the marquee matchup, the ESPN commercial maker, the talk of the town. Purdue is clearly the best team in the Big Ten and Coach K always has his team in top form. Both teams are a benchmark for each conference. The winner here will determine the quality of ball being played within the conference this year.
Clemson at Illinois
- Not a headline matchup, but both of these teams will not be overlooked by anyone they see. Clemson is still seeing votes for the top 25 and sits at 7-0, they have been beating up on local neighbors like Charlotte and Savannah State, not too impressive but they haven’t slipped. Illinois has only played 4 games but beat Vanderbilt during that time and will certainly look to jump into the polls this winter.
Ohio State at Miami
- OSU made the NIT interesting last year but haven’t done anything this year. Their schedule will really jump into first gear in quality when they face the Canes (they see ND and Butler in the week after Miami). The Canes are expected to do big things this year with quality leadership from a roster loaded with Juniors and Seniors, they still have yet to prove themselves as a contender in the ACC.
Virginia at Minnesota
- Nothing terribly exciting here, but look for a quality matchup between two teams that could play spoiler in conference play.
Iowa at Boston College
- This game means a lot more for Boston College than it does for the Hawkeyes, the young Eagles is high on prospects but low on confidence. The team has one leading senior in Tyrese Rice, but has to balance their attack to contend this year. Iowa hasn’t seen a quality opponent except West Virginia, who they lost to. Hard fought battle for potential bubble teams.
Wednesday, Dec. 3
North Carolina vs. Michigan State (Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan)
- Another marquis matchup that will show the quality of each conference. Trouble is UNC will roll. Michigan State is a team that relies on momentum and feisty defense. UNC has their way with anyone, they will have their way with Izzo’s squad, unless they go real cold from the field.
Indiana at Wake Forest
- A rebuilding year in Indiana this year will be tough to swallow for Hoosier fans. The Demon Deacons, though, are looking at the potential of a powerful young roster. Look for Wake to start turning heads during this game.
Michigan at Maryland
- Maryland is a team that can always go either way. Gary Williams always seems to have his team in contention but never close to domination. Michigan hasn’t even made a news reel in recent memory but stole a win over UCLA early. As we speak, though, they are down by 20 at the half to Savannah State…?
Florida State at Northwestern
- I have a feeling we won’t see any serious news come from this game. The Noles were an athletic contender last year and are at 6-0 this year, we will see what they are made of in Saturday’s matchup against Cal. I have a hard time believing that the Wildcats will be able to keep up. Noles roll.
Penn State at Georgia Tech
- The Yellow Jackets have been squeaking out wins against some pretty weak opponents lately, Mercer took them into OT and they beat Jacksonville by 3. They are hanging by a thread but at least they have a thread. The Nittany Lions, however, have had some decent wins so far. I like the boys from Happy Valley.
The ACC has dominated the history of this inter-conference challenge. I don’t see much difference this year, at least amongst the Big Dogs. Duke and UNC should win, look for the shakeups and buzzer beaters to come from the middle of the pack games on Tuesday. The momentum is what’s key now, teams need to gather speed, confidence and poise early in the year before they go into conference play. Young ACC teams are looking for serious growth and Big-Ten bubble watchers would love a good win in November to strengthen their case in March.
