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NCAA Basketball: 2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge preview and predictions

By Austin Walther

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 23: Michigan Wolverines head Basketball Coach Jon Beilein watches the action during the first half of the game against the Chattanooga Mocs at Crisler Center on November 23, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Chattanooga Mocs 83-55. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 23: Michigan Wolverines head Basketball Coach Jon Beilein watches the action during the first half of the game against the Chattanooga Mocs at Crisler Center on November 23, 2018 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Chattanooga Mocs 83-55. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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ACC/Big Ten Challenge Game 2: Minnesota @ Boston College

TV Schedule: Monday, Nov. 26, 9 p.m. ET ESPN2

Arena: Silvio Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

I personally thought Boston College was going to be a Tournament team in the ACC even though Jerome Robinson left. They have not been making me look smart. The Eagles only have one loss, but that’s to IUPUI. A neutral win over Loyola-Chicago is nice, but that loss isn’t settling well.

Minnesota will be playing its first true road game. The Gophers did land a power-conference team at home and it was a nice win over Utah. They went out and swept Vancouver which included wins over Texas A&M and Washington. Minnesota has found multiple different ways to win and they’re undefeated heading into this match up.

Boston College has some really good guard play. Ky Bowman has taken over as the leading scorer for the Eagles. Jordan Chatman is a nice shooter and Wynston Tabbs finds ways to score. Steffon Mitchell and Nik Popvic are great in the front court but finding other scorers beyond five guys is hard. Because Bowman, Mitchell and Chatman are the only three who have started all five games.

The Gophers have only allowed more than 70 once and that was to Omaha in the opener. It was just a two-point win over Washington, but they were able to sneak out the victory for a nice resume builder. They won the game without really any true point guard play which is going to happen a lot.

Isaiah Washington comes off the bench and Amir Coffey is trusted with the point in the starting lineup. Jordan Murphy continues to get double-doubles and he has help in the front court with freshman Daniel Oturu. Fellow senior Dupree McBrayer is also receiving help from a freshman. Gabe Kalscheur is a pleasant surprise, knocking down 18 three-pointers so far this season.

The game is in Boston College. It’s hard to pick the road team in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but Minnesota has depth. They also have a nice nucleus returning that failed a lot of expectations last year and starting the season 6-0 with multiple wins over power-conference teams is a great start.

Prediction: Minnesota 72, Boston College 69