NCAA Basketball: ACC/Big Ten Challenge preview and predictions

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

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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SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is seen after the game Chicago State Cougars at Purcell Pavilion on November 8, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

ACC/Big Ten Challenge Game 4: Illinois @ Notre Dame

TV Schedule: Tuesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m. ET ESPNU

Arena: Purcell Pavilion, South Bend, IN

Notre Dame finally faced its first power-conference opponent this past weekend in DePaul. Normally you don’t think much about the Blue Demons, but they were undefeated and knocked off Penn State in the Gavitt Games. The Irish wanted to hear nothing about that. They rolled once again, setting up another game with a team from a good conference.

Illinois really fought hard out in Maui. They went toe-to-toe with the best team in the country up until the final minutes or so. Then the Illini were gassed and lost big to Iowa State. They came back and made a game out of the contest with Xavier, but left the Islands with three losses. That comes out to be four on the season. Between the Gavitt Games and Maui, Illinois has gone three games under.

Their top-two guards have been doing very nice things for them. Trent Frazier is just a sophomore and is playing like a senior. He was the reason why the Illini almost beat Gonzaga. Ayo Dosunmu is an excellent freshman guard who is averaging 16 points per game. They haven’t found consistent point guard play out of either though. Aaron Jordan is a three-point threat but hasn’t consistently scored from anywhere else on the court this season.

Notre Dame was hoping to get Temple Gibbs and Rex Pflueger to be the big-two. They haven’t really been putting up the offensive numbers like Mike Brey had hoped for. Gibbs is averaging almost 12 per game to go along with 3.5 assists, but Pflueger is just over six points per game. John Mooney and D.J. Harvey have been nice, decent players early on, but certainly they need more from their upperclassmen guards.

Illinois is showing signs of a struggling team so far. They do however get after it for the full 40 minutes like any other Brad Underwood team would. But they just haven’t been able to put it together for a full game quite yet. The Irish are thought of as a bubble team at worst and it’s a home game in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Prediction: Notre Dame 84, Illinois 72