NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 2020 Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchups

2. Michigan State at Virginia

The obvious storyline for this matchup is the reunion of the Hauser brothers, with Sam at Virginia and Joey at Michigan State after transferring from Marquette and sitting out a season. Each will play big roles this season, replacing both Mamadi Diakite and Xavier Tillman respectively. As expected with both of these programs, there’s plenty of talent up and down the court.

But the key to not only this game but both of their upcoming seasons will be the play of the backcourt. With Cassius Winston now gone, it’ll be either Rocket Watts or Foster Loyer to take over as the starting point guard. For Virginia, they’re hoping for improved play from Kihei Clark and  Casey Morsell. Whichever team gets better guard play will have the edge in this one.

Prediction: Virginia

1. Illinois at Duke

Any time Duke is involved, there’s going to be massive intrigue. They’re once again a national title contender filled with five-star talent, led by guards Jalen Johnson, DJ Steward, and Jeremy Roach. There’s depth in the frontcourt with Matthew Hurt and Wendell Moore, added with Columbia grad transfer Patrick Tape.

However, the Blue Devils will have their hands full with Illinois, particularly the duo of Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmo. Their returns vaulted the Illini towards top-10 preseason status and a clear Final Four threat. This unique matchup and the pressure on Illinois to get a massive win on the road. Their experience, along with Duke’s youth, is a great combination that could lead to an “upset”.

Prediction: Illinois

If you add up my predictions, it would be an 8-6 win for the ACC. Yet this clearly is a balanced challenge this season, with many of these games seemingly a coin-flip. That’s what makes the Big Ten/ACC Challenge so great, with the 2020 version likely being no different.