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What to watch for in Tuesday's six ACC-Big Ten Challenge games
The ACC and Big Ten are tied one apiece in their annual challenge after Florida State and Northwestern picked up victories on Monday night. Here’s a look at Tuesday’s slate headlined by Duke-Michigan State and Wisconsin-Syracuse:
MICHIGAN STATE (4-3) AT DUKE (6-1) (9:30 p.m. EST): The unnecessarily brutal November slate Tom Izzo assembled for his team became downright masochistic after a spate of frontcourt injuries struck the Spartans. They’ve suffered losses away from home against Arizona, Kentucky and Baylor while starting an ex-walk-on at center and relying heavily on freshmen. The last leg of Michigan State’s November gauntlet arrives Tuesday night when the Spartans visit a Duke team that has endured some issues of its own so far this season. The Blue Devils have won six of their first seven games despite McDonald’s All-Americans Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden not playing a single minute due to injury. All three are expected to sit again Tuesday night and Grayson Allen may also be hampered by a toe injury. If so, this matchup loses some of its luster, but Michigan State also has a better chance of remaining competitive. PREDICTION: DUKE.
SYRACUSE (4-1) AT WISCONSIN (5-2) (7:30 p.m. EST): Only three days after an unexpected loss against South Carolina, Syracuse faces an even greater challenge. The Orange visit a Wisconsin team that returns every key player from last year’s Sweet 16 season. One of the keys to the game could be whether Wisconsin can find a way to attack the middle of the stingy Syracuse zone. The Badgers are only shooting 30.4 percent from behind the arc and Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig and Zach Showalter have struggled mightily with their shots. For Syracuse, it will be critical to keep Wisconsin off the offensive glass and to keep sophomore forward Tyler Lydon hot. In his past two games, Lydon has averaged 16 points and 8.5 rebounds and sunk 7 of 10 attempts from behind the arc, giving Syracuse a much-needed perimeter threat. PREDICTION: SYRACUSE.
NC STATE (5-1) AT ILLINOIS (4-3) (7 p.m. EST): A critical year for embattled Illinois coach John Groce has not gone as planned so far. The Illini have dropped three straight games against Winthrop, West Virginia and Florida State, raising doubts that this team is capable of ending a three-year NCAA tournament drought. Turnovers have been Illinois’ biggest issue so far this season as the Illini committed 57 combined in their three losses. That’s a bit of a surprise considering the presence of sixth-year point guard Tracy Abrams and the fact the Illini had the 12th lowest turnover percentage in the nation last season. NC State has not been all that good defensively so far this season, but the Wolfpack have been dynamic on offense. Freshman point guard Dennis Smith has averaged 27 points and 7.5 assists his past two games and wings Terry Henderson and Torin Dorn are both scoring more than 17 points per game. PREDICTION: NC STATE.
PITTSBURGH (5-1) at MARYLAND (7-0) (7 p.m. EST): Maryland’s 7-0 start has masked some early issues. The Terps had to rally to beat struggling Georgetown by a single point, won in OT at home against Richmond and needed a game-winning shot from Melo Trimble on their final possession to survive Kansas State. Trimble’s scoring has been a bright spot for Maryland, as has the early impact of freshmen Justin Jackson and Anthony Cowan, but the Terps have not shot well from behind the arc. Their defense has also sometimes been erratic, which could be an issue against a Pittsburgh team that has scored efficiently so far despite the lack of a true point guard on its roster. The one-two punch of Jamel Artis and Michael Young has averaged 42.6 points per game for the Panthers and Cameron Johnson has showed signs of emerging as a capable third scorer. PREDICTION: MARYLAND.
IOWA (3-3) at NOTRE DAME (6-0) (9 p.m. EST): There was little doubt Iowa was going to take a step backward this season after graduating four starters including standout forward Jarrod Uthoff. The Hawkeyes have dropped all three of their games against credible opponents so far this season, falling to Seton Hall, Virginia and Memphis. Iowa’s biggest problem has been that it isn’t stopping anyone, nor does it have enough scorers to keep up. Lone returning starter Peter Jok is averaging 25.3 points per game, however, heralded freshman forward Tyler Cook is the Hawkeyes’ lone other double-digit scorer. It won’t get any easier for Iowa on Tuesday against a Notre Dame team that hasn’t missed a beat so far despite the loss of star point guard Demetrius Jackson and top big man Zach Auguste. The Irish are unbeaten so far including solid wins over Colorado and Northwestern. PREDICTION: NOTRE DAME.
GEORGIA TECH (4-1) at PENN STATE (4-3) (7 p.m. EST): If you’re looking for a game to skip, this is definitely the one. Both these teams are likely to finish near the bottom of their respective leagues. Georgia Tech’s 4-1 record is built entirely on home games against small-conference opponents. The toughest team the Yellowjackets have faced is Ohio, which beat them 67-61 in Atlanta on Nov. 18. Penn State’s most impressive result by far is a road win against a solid George Washington team in its most recent game. The Nittany Lions have to be encouraged by the play of heralded freshman guard Tony Carr, who has scored in double figures in all seven games they’ve played. PREDICTION: PENN STATE
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
