The Big 10/ACC Challenge got off to a good start for the Big 10 yesterday with the conference going 4-2 highlighted by Ohio State’s dismantling of Duke. Today they have another 6 games to decide the winner of the challenge. Check out the picks and previews below.
North Carolina over Wisconsin – The worst thing that happened to Wisconsin so far this year was UNLV beating UNC on Saturday. Without that loss I think Wisonsin could’ve surprised UNC and pulled the upset. UNC should be focused for this game as they were not very happy with their last performance. Eventhough Wisconsin is a bad matchup for UNC with their stifling defense and 3 point shooting ability. The guard play should be about even in this with the Jordan Taylor-Kendall Marshall matchup being a dandy. I dont think that Wisconsin has the athletes in the front court to stop Henson, Barnes and Zeller. In the end UNC will have the 5 hungrier and more talented players on the floor playing in the Dean Dome.
North Carolina State over Indiana – Indiana is off to an undefeated start and the crazed IU fans are loving Cody Zeller. This will be their first true test of the season. NC State on the other hand has played a few tough games which should prepare them for this one. This game will be the first time Zeller has faced a big athletic front line in college and I think it will slow him down. He wont be getting easy dunks and putbacks against Richard Howell and Deshawn Painter. Indiana will not have any answer for CJ Leslie when he comes off the bench and Scott Wood will light up the nets from 3 and NC State pulls it out at home.
Penn State over Boston College – Not a lot to say about this one except I think Tim Frazier bounces back from his terrible performance against St. Joseph’s which will lead Penn State to victory. That and the fact that last time BC played at home they lost by 36 to an average U Mass team.
Michigan State over Florida State – This game is going to be a battle with a ton of superior athletes on the floor. The problem is it wont be pretty to watch as neither team is very good at putting the ball in the basket. Draymond Green and the fact that this game is in the Breslin will be the difference in this low scoring affair.
Virginia Tech over Minnesota – This is the toughest game of the day to predict because its hard to know how good Minnesota will be without Trevor Mbakwe. Ralph Sampson III has been in a funk and now he is a much more integral part of this team. Williams Arena should be rocking trying to pick up the home team in this one which makes it very hard to pick against Minnesota. That being said I think the Mbakwe injury will be too much to overcome in this one.
Nebraska over Wake Forest – This is a game I cant see many people outside of Lincoln and Winston-Salem watching. CJ Harris and Travis Mckie are fun to watch for Wake but they don’t have much behind them. The have a shallow bench that will be exploited on the road tonight. Expect Nebraska to win this one going away.