NCAA Basketball: Overall takeaways from 2020 ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Minnesota Golden Gophers – Hoping this is a sign to come for Mashburn Jr.

Minnesota survived a potential bad resume loss in overtime, thanks to star guard Marcus Carr (22 points) and Both Gach (16 points). They finally got production elsewhere, including 14 points and eight rebounds from Drake transfer Liam Robbins. That has been a question early on for the team, as Carr has been putting up All-American numbers just to get them across the finish line against inferior competition.

That’s why the 10 points supplied off the bench by freshman Jamal Mashburn Jr. is so important. He combined to score 10 points in the first four games combined and hasn’t been much of a factor. But the Gophers need to find another guard who can produce either off the bench or alongside Carr to take the burden off of him once Big Ten play comes. The former top-100 prospect has the chance to be that guy but will have to build off of this good performance.

Boston College Eagles – Far better than 1-4 record suggests

Ever since the near upset of the Villanova Wildcats to start the season, the Eagles have been taking on top-tier opponents. They only have a win over Rhode Island to show for it but they’ve been more than competitive early on. Wynston Tabbs (24 points) looks to be an All-ACC guard this season, while the rest of the roster is still sorting themselves out, considering the number of transfers that joined this offseason.

Although they still lack the talent to get the wins, Boston College is setting themselves to be that spoiler that beats a team on the bubble and gives them a “bad” loss on their resume. They’re more than capable of doing that, playing arguably the toughest overall schedule of any power conference program this season.