2011 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Predictions: Night Two
By Blake Lovell
The Big Ten took a 4-2 lead in the 2011 Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Tuesday night, highlighted by the dominant victory by second-ranked Ohio State over fourth-ranked Duke.
Now it’s time for another set of games tonight, which features an intriguing matchup in Chapel Hill between North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Let’s get to the predictions!
Penn State (5-2) at Boston College (2-4) – 7:15 PM ET, ESPNU
Not a lot of hoopla surrounding this one as both teams haven’t exactly done much to this point. BC’s only two wins on the year are against New Hampshire (by three) and UC-Irvine (by four, in OT). So that’s not encouraging. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions are coming off to a big loss to Saint Joseph’s and will be looking to rebound here. BC will have a hard time containing Tim Frazier, and that’ll be the difference in this one.
Prediction: Penn State 70, Boston College 62
Indiana (6-0) at NC State (5-1) – 7:15 PM ET, ESPN 2
A very intriguing matchup between two potential sleeper teams in both conferences. This is the kind of start that Tom Crean needed at Indiana, and freshman stud Cody Zeller has been very, very good. Mark Gottfried is also enjoying a nice start to his NC State career, with their only loss coming to Vanderbilt in the Legends Classic. Whichever team wins this game is going to get a huge boost going forward. Both have NCAA tournament aspirations. Normally I’d go with the home team in this case, but I love what Crean’s doing with this team right now. The Hoosiers steal one on the road.
Prediction: Indiana 74, NC State 68
Florida State (5-2) at Michigan State (4-2) – 7:30 PM ET, ESPN
Another matchup pitting two teams that are extremely talented despite having two losses each on the year. Both have played quality opponents, so they’re ready for this type of non-conference challenge. This should be defensive-oriented and may not be entirely pretty. But that’s how these two teams have to win, and defense will be what makes or breaks the season for both of them. I really like what Draymond Green is bringing to the table early in the season. Which is why it’s hard to pick against a Tom Izzo team at home.
Prediction: Michigan State 63, Florida State 56
Virginia Tech (5-1) at Minnesota (6-1) – 9:15 PM ET, ESPN 2
Here’s two teams who have suffered big setbacks due to injuries. Virginia Tech lost J.T. Thompson again while Minnesota just lost their leading scorer and rebounder in Trevor Mbakwe. The Hokies have had time to manage the loss of Thompson. But Minnesota will play their first full game without him tonight, and quite honestly, it’s hard to see them not struggling. If Ralph Sampson III can step his game up, then maybe the Golden Gophers will be fine. However, game one after the loss of Mbakwe isn’t likely to field great results despite being at home.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 71, Minnesota 65
Wake Forest (4-2) at Nebraska (4-1) – 9:15 PM ET, ESPN U
Two teams expected to be towards the bottom of their respective conference here, but both have players that can score the ball in a hurry. Senior guard Bo Spencer leads the way for Nebraska, while C.J. Harris and Travis McKie pretty much do it all for the Demon Deacons. This is another one of those games that it’s hard to get a feel for based on early season results. But I’ll go out on a limb and take the road team.
Prediction: Wake Forest 78, Nebraska 74
#7 Wisconsin at #5 North Carolina – 9:30 PM ET, ESPN
The big game of the night features a North Carolina team looking to get back on track and a Wisconsin team looking to get some respect. Despite being ranked seventh in the country, you could still say that Bo Ryan‘s Badgers still haven’t completely hit the national radar just yet. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that they haven’t played much of a schedule just yet.
For North Carolina, it’s simply about getting back to what they do. Kendall Marshall has to be strong in his matchup against Jordan Taylor. Their defense has to be much, much better than what it was against UNLV the other night. Harrison Barnes is likely to play, but it’ll be interesting to see just how effective he is.
Keep this in mind: Wisconsin has only allowed over 43 points in one of their six games this season. Maybe they haven’t played the greatest competition, but that’s impressive. Can’t see them holding the Tar Heels under 50 tonight though, as that’s asking way too much. UNC has some cracks in the armor, but picking them to lose at home after a loss wouldn’t be the best move.
Prediction: North Carolina 67, Wisconsin 61
What are your thoughts on tonight’s games?
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