Through all kinds of drama, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge finishes 2018 in a tie at seven wins apiece. One thing it did provide was basketball well worth watching, as only four of the 14 games were decided by double digits, and we also got some real impressions of a number of the teams.
On Wednesday night, the six games were evenly split, and there was no real split in terms of home and road.
We start with Syracuse visiting Ohio State, who came into the week as the top team in the NET rating. (Okay, we won’t beat that dead horse, but it sure sounded like an important note.) The Orange did what they do in their zone defense, limiting Ohio State to 32.6 percent shooting, including 6-22 from long range. That’s tough enough to overcome, but the Orange also had a pretty good night at the offensive end, as Tyus Battle already looks better for having Frank Howard back as he had 20 points on 6-10 shooting to lead them past the Buckeyes 72-62.
In College Park, Virginia kept their fine start going by holding off old ACC rival Maryland 76-71. While Maryland made some inroads in the second half and got as close as four, Virginia had a quick answer when they got that close and overall it felt as though the Cavaliers had this one. A balanced offensive attack with four players scoring in double figures was crucial since Maryland shot 54 percent from the field and had a 35-23 rebounding edge, and the Cavaliers got that and only gave the ball away twice all night – a phenomenal stat.
Rutgers went on the road to pick up a nice 57-54 win at Miami, moving the Scarlet Knights to 5-1. While the Hurricanes were thin on the bench and perhaps a little gassed from their recent west coast swing with three games in four days, give Rutgers credit for taking advantage and playing well enough to get this win as Steve Pikiell’s effort to build them continues.
Michigan and North Carolina played an entertaining and back-and-forth first half, trading big runs along the way. Michigan then came out strong and broke the game open, and the final score of 84-67 is still a bit deceptive as to how dominant the Wolverines were in the second half. Roy Williams did not mince words about his team after the game, but we have to understand a couple of things as I mentioned last night:
Have to admit, I didn’t see this dominance coming. But let’s understand a couple of things: (1) Michigan is good. Really good. (2) John Beilein can coach.
— Phil Kasiecki (@PhilKasiecki) November 29, 2018
Georgia Tech headed to Northwestern and fell behind big early on, digging a 40-20 halftime deficit. Northwestern added to that led by scoring the first four points of the second half as part of a 10-2 run, and that was too much for the Yellow Jackets to overcome even as they came alive later in a 67-61 win for the Wildcats.
The games ended with a dramatic finish. Purdue looked to be in control at Florida State after a 14-0 run gave them a 58-51 lead, which came after they trailed by 12 at the half. The Seminoles would rally and get as close as 59-57, but the Boilermakers always seemed to have an answer – until the final seconds. The score was 72-71 in favor of Purdue from just over two minutes left on, then Trent Forrest forced a turnover and hit a short jumper to put Florida State up with 5.2 seconds left. The Seminoles intercepted a pass after the ball got inbounds to hang on for a 73-72 win and end the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in the aforementioned 7-7 tie.
At this point, the Big Ten looks a lot better than it did last year. While there have been a few misses – and Purdue has a couple of them, ironically both against ACC teams (Virginia Tech in the Charleston Classic championship as well) – in all, the conference has had some solid wins thus far, setting things up to be better than last year as early conference games beckon. The ACC still looks strong, but not overwhelmingly so, and the teams expected to lead the way – Duke, Virginia, North Carolina – have looked the part thus far.
Side Dishes
Creighton got a visit from Big Sky favorite Montana, who has quietly looked like one of the better mid-majors thus far. The Bluejays were on another level, however, especially in the second half as they broke away from the Grizzlies for a 98-72 win. It’s a better win than they will probably get credit for.
Staying in the Big East, Georgetown took care of Richmond 90-82 behind a big night from Jessie Govan (29 points on 11-15 shooting, nine rebounds) to go to 6-1 on the season.
St. Bonaventure took care of nearby rival Canisius 70-55, but more important than the win is that this was the first game back for star forward Courtney Stockard, and he looked as good as could be expected with 19 points and seven rebounds to lead the way for the Bonnies.
Justin James had a monster game for Wyoming with 34 points and 20 rebounds, but the struggling Cowboys lost 86-78 at Evansville in a game in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge. Through eight games, the Missouri Valley leads 5-3; the last two seasons, the challenge ended in a 5-5 tie each time.
Another monster game came from Mike Daum of South Dakota State, who has been known to put them up. His team was on the winning end of his 26-point, 18-rebound effort, as they blew out UMKC 75-47.
Tonight’s Menu
The slate is significantly lighter than the last few nights, although of note is the Hall of Fame Belfast Classic, where three games will be played.
- In Belfast, Buffalo takes on Milwaukee (5:30 a.m. Eastern), Dartmouth battles Marist (11 a.m.) and LIU Brooklyn plays Albany (2 p.m.)
- Back in the U.S., the best game of the night may be Alabama visiting UCF (7 p.m.)
- Belmont’s visit to Samford (7:30 p.m.) is another good matchup on tap.
- Later on is a sleeper matchup with Sun Belt contender Georgia Southern visiting Arizona (9 p.m.)
