Day one of the ACC – Big 10 Challenge is in the books and it was dominated by the Big 10 conference. After finishing the opening night with a record of 4-2 it appears as if the Commissioner’s Cup will be heading back to the Midwest this winter.

Outside of convincing wins by Virginia Tech and our Maryland Terrapins the rest of the ACC failed to live up to expectations in an event that has been historically been a landslide victory for the conference. Both North Carolina and N.C. State faced large double digit deficits in their games and while the Wolfpack made their game respectable the same can’t be said about their neighbors from Chapel Hill. Wake Forest was embarrassed on their home floor and Florida State couldn’t handle Tubby Smith and his Golden Gophers. All in all, it was a night that the ACC would probably like to forget.

There is a chance for redemption, however, as tonight brings up six more games between these two conferences highlighted by #2 Duke going against #4 Ohio State. Much like I did yesterday, I will preview each of these games and give you my pick to win (Went 5-1 yesterday, totally tooting my own horn).

#4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #2 Duke Blue Devils (9:30 ESPN)

In what is clearly the premier matchup of the evening the Buckeyes of Ohio State travel to Cameron Indoor in Durham, NC to take on Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils. Coming off of their win over Louisville in the Bahamas the Blue Devils need to stay focused as the Buckeyes present another tough challenge for them tonight. Blue Devils fans surely remember the throttling Duke took from Ohio State last season in Columbus and have to be hopeful for a better effort tonight than last season’s 22 point defeat.

While Ohio State has nine players who are averaging over 10 minutes per game on the season they receive the bulk of their scoring from three players. The Buckeyes are led by junior Deshaun Thomas in both scoring and rebounding as he averages 24 and 7 per game. Aaron Craft (14.3 PPG) and Levelle Smith Jr. (11.5 PPG) also have shown they can contribute, averaging over 10 ppg for the Buckeyes. However, Thomas has essentially been a one man wrecking crew for the Buckeyes this year and Ohio State will need him to be close to perfect tonight in order to pull off the upset at Duke.

While Mason Plumlee has been the man for the Blue Devils so far this season it has been the emergence of Quinn Cook that has really given this team a chance to be special this season. Cook, a former Dematha guard, is getting the opportunity to play extended minutes this year and has taken full advantage of it as he is averaging over 10 PPG while having more than twice as many assists as any other Duke player. Look for Cook to continue his improved play while Mason Plumlee does his whole 20 points and 10 rebounds shtick for Duke.

Pick: Duke Blue Devils

 #13 Michigan State Spartans vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes (7:30 ESPN)

Tom Izzo and his #13 Spartans travel to Coral Gables tonight to do battle with the Hurricanes of the University of Miami. The Spartans have bounced back nicely from their season opening loss to UCONN in Germany as they have run off five straight wins since, including a victory over Kansas. Miami, on the other hand, is facing their biggest test thus far when the Spartans get to town tonight. The Hurricanes best win at this point in time is their victory over Detroit, while their loss to Florida Gulf Coast University is more than troubling.

Junior guard Keith Appling leads the Spartans in scoring, assists, three point shooting percentage and minutes played so you can tell his success is paramount for Michigan State’s success. As Appling goes, so do the Spartans. Two other Spartans to watch out for tonight are guards Branden Dawson and Gary Harris as they both average 10+ PPG for Michigan State.

Miami is led by Shane Larkin, yes Barry Larkin’s kid, and Durand Scott as the pair average over 32 PPG for the Hurricanes. This team, coached by local legend Jim Larranaga, is coming off a 2011-2012 season where they managed to go 19-12 and make it to the second round of the NIT while dealing with all of the distractions of the NCAA investigation into the athletic program. That is more than commendable and I have little doubt that Larranaga will succeed at Miami, however, it won’t be happening tonight.

Pick: Michigan State Spartans

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. #22 Illinois Fighting Illini (9:00 ESPN2)

Illinois comes into this game as one of the season’s early surprises at 7-0 and ranked #22 in the country. New coach John Groce has installed a more up-tempo system for the Illini and they have responded in a positive way, winning the Maui Invitational. Led by senior guard Brandon Paul and his 18.2 PPG the Illini have proved to be a handful for their competition this season.

Georgia Tech might have their hands full with the fast paced Illinois offense tonight. As a team the Yellow Jackets average 61 PPG, which is almost 20 points fewer than Illinois average. If the Yellow Jackets find themselves in a track meet with the Illini tonight they will struggle to keep pace. A player to watch for Georgia Tech tonight is Mfon Udofia, the senior is averaging 10 PPG and is leading the Yellow Jackets with 3.2 assists per game. Tech will need a big game out of Udofia tonight to stand a chance against the Illini.

Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini

Virginia Cavaliers vs. Wisconsin Badgers (7:00 ESPN2)

The Virginia Cavaliers take their show on the road for the first time this season as the Wahoos make the trip up to Madison, Wisconsin to tangle with Bo Ryan and his Badgers. It has been a rough start to the season for Virginia as they dropped two of their first three contests to schools from the CAA (George Mason and Delaware). With victories over Fairfield, Lamar, Seattle and North Texas the Cavaliers are anything but a proven commodity at this point.

Wisconsin comes into tonight also with a 4-2 overall record, however, the Badgers losses have come against two teams ranked in the top 15 when they played in Florida and Creighton. In typical Wisconsin fashion, these Badgers make their living behind the three point arc. Through six games, the Badgers have taken 150 three pointers as a team, making 53 of them. Ben Brust and Sam Dekker lead the team as both are right around 50% from beyond the arc on the season. If the threes are dropping tonight, as I predict they will, then UVA is going to be in a world of hurt.

Pick: Wisconsin Badgers

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Clemson Tigers (7:15 ESPNU)

This game just got much more interesting as the news that Clemson senior Milton Jennings will be held out of tonight’s matchup after, reportedly, being arrested last night for possession of marijuana. Jennings missing the game is probably the best thing that could have happened for an outmatched Purdue squad, but it still might not be enough to help the Boilermakers spring the upset. Purdue’s wins have come against Hofstra and UNC-Wilmington while they have been defeated by Villanova, Bucknell and Oregon State. The Boilermakers top two options on offense are Terone Johnson (11 PPG) and D.J. Byrd (10.8 PPG), unfortunately for Purdue neither player is shooting over 36% on the season.

Clemson, sans Milton Jennings, should still have enough talent to win this game tonight. While Jennings is the Tigers leading scorer (10.8 PPG) Devin Booker and K.J. McDaniels are nipping at his heels (Both averaging 10.4 PPG) and should be more than capable of shouldering the load brought on by Jennings arrest and subsequent suspension. I’d expect BYU transfer, and South Carolina native, Demarcus Harrison to have a big game as Brad Brownell will have to find a way to make up for the missed production from Jennings.

Pick: Clemson Tigers

Boston College Eagles vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (9:15 ESPNU)

Finally, in a game that rivals Nebraska vs. Wake Forest in terms of watchability, the Eagles of Boston College hope to get on the right track after stumbling out of the blocks so far this season. BC is 2-4 with some truly horrendous performances early on against the College of Charleston and Bryant University. Led by Ryan Anderson, unfortunately not the one in the NBA, and Oliver Hanlan the Eagles come into tonight with a bad taste in their mouths from their two point loss to Bryant just three days ago. Expect a hard fought effort out of the Eagles tonight as the only way to win games when you are lacking in talent is to outwork the opposition.

Fortunately for BC, the Penn State Nittany Lions are far from a world beater. Averaging only 59 PPG ranks the Nittany Lions among some of the worst in college basketball. Penn State’s resume is equally as disheartening as that of Boston College as their wins came in close games over St. Francis (PA), a bad Providence team and Bucknell. Tim Frazier and D.J. Newbill are the ones to watch tonight for Penn State as the pair combine for a shade under 30 PPG along with 10 RPG and 7 APG. If the Eagles want to win tonight, they need to stop this tandem. Unfortunately, I have seen BC play this season already in a one point win over lowly Auburn and know better than to pick them to win on the road tonight.

Pick: Penn State Nittany Lions

It is that time of year again basketball fans. Yes, you guessed it; it is finally time for the annual ACC – Big 10 Challenge. This year’s challenge will surely have a different feel to it as the ACC is still reeling from the announcement that our Maryland Terrapins will be making the jump from the ACC to the Big 10 starting in 2014.

This raises some interesting questions as we head into tonight’s games. Clearly we’re rooting for the Terps in their matchup against Northwestern…but what about everyone else? Where should the Maryland fanbase’s allegiances lie? Do we back the rest of the ACC since it is still our home until the summer of 2014 or do we just dive in head first to the B1G hysteria and support the schools we will be joining? This has the feel of a long term relationship coming to an end but where the two parties attempt to “stay friends” which has all the makings of one awkward situation.

Personally, I never put much stock into “conference pride” as I would rather see my team win and everyone else we compete against lose, if possible. Win or lose, I wouldn’t be caught dead beating my chest over a conference victory in the ACC – Big 10 Challenge because, frankly, it doesn’t matter. So what am I suggesting? Quasi-Independence? Precisely.

Maryland is essentially the rogue team in the ACC for the next year and a half, no one in the league likes us and the athletic program and the fanbase should embrace that. We’re out of this conference come 2014 no matter what, might as well let everyone know how you feel about them as you hand them a loss on your way out the door.

With all that out of the way, let’s take a look at the opening night matchups of this year’s ACC – Big 10 Challenge:

Maryland Terrapins vs. Northwestern Wildcats (9:15 ESPN2)

Naturally, I am going to take a look at the Terps matchup first. This is Maryland’s first road test of the season as the Terps previous games have either all been played at the friendly confines of Comcast Center or on a neutral floor. While Northwestern might not have the most historically raucous arena I would imagine Wildcats fans will be out in full force to get a glimpse of the new kid on the block.

Northwestern comes into this game with a 6-0 record after beating Illinois State in overtime to win the preseason tournament in South Padre Island. The Wildcats run a Princeton style offense which is predicated on long possessions, back door cuts and three point shooting. Maryland will have to make a concerted effort to not get caught looking at the basketball and beat back door by cutters while also making sure they continuously close out on Northwestern’s shooters getting a hand in their face.

I like Maryland in this match up as they should have little problem having the Wildcats adjust to play their type of game. Controlling the tempo against teams that run the Princeton offense like Northwestern does is paramount to Maryland’s success. They want to slow things down and limit the number of total possessions. Maryland does not want to get sucked into this type of game as it is not the style of play which the Terps have had much success to this point.

Look for Maryland to get up and down early on to impose their will offensively on the Wildcats. Alex Len, James Padgett, Charles Mitchell and Shaq Cleare should all have ample opportunity to get their buckets tonight. The Terps should once again have a distinct size advantage in the paint and should use this as a means to leaving Illinois with their first road win of the season.

Pick: Maryland

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Indiana Hoosiers (9:30 ESPN)

This matchup features two college basketball blue bloods going at it, and should be the best game of the night. The Tar Heels travel to IU to take on the number one team in the country in a matchup that all college basketball fanatics will surely love.

Tonight marks the first meeting on the hardwood between these two schools since 2004 when the Tar Heels last traveled to Bloomington. That game will be remembered for the harsh treatment Indiana native Sean May received from the Hoosier faithful as he returned home as a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels. Tom Crean appears to have changed the way recruits look at Indiana however as he was able to record a massive recruiting win over Roy Williams and his Tar Heels when Crean received a commitment from current super sophomore, and brother of former Tar Heel Tyler, Cody Zeller. Now we finally get to see all this talent play against one another instead of just focusing on the battles between the schools respective coaches to secure the high level talent that makes up both of these rosters.

The Tar Heels come into this game with a 5-1 record fresh off a third place finish at the Maui Invitational after suffering a crushing loss to the Butler Bulldogs where the Tar Heels were never really in it. They will be without the services of P.J. Hairston tonight as the Heels big man did not make the trip to Bloomington due to injury so it will be key that the rest of the Tar Heels roster picks up their game to make up for those 11 PPG that will be missing tonight. Look for freshman Brice Johnson to pick up the load for UNC.

Indiana, the preseason number 1 team in the country, has yet to suffer a setback this season and have held onto their top ranking with a perfect record thus far. The Hoosiers faced a tough test against Georgetown at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn and were able to battle to a 10 point overtime victory.  This Hoosiers team is very deep, with nine players averaging over 10 minutes per game. They currently have five players averaging at least 10 points per game, led by All-American Cody Zeller and his 15.2 PPG average.

This should be a great contest between two of the country’s top programs but with the home court advantage being with Indiana I have to go with the Hoosiers in this one.

Pick: Indiana

N.C. State Wolfpack vs. Michigan Wolverines (7:30 ESPN)

It’s been a tough start for the darlings of the ACC Media Days. Heading into this season many looked at the Wolfpack as a contender for the ACC crown as well as a player on the national level. This may end up being the case as there is a lot of season left to be played but the early returns on N.C. State leave a little to be desired for. After being blown out by 20 on a neutral floor to an unranked Oklahoma State squad the Wolfpack narrowly escaped an upset bid by UNC-Asheville earlier this week winning 82-80 over the Bulldogs. While C.J. Leslie and Rodney Purvis garner much of the notoriety the Wolfpack are led in scoring by T.J. Warren (14.8 PPG) and Richard Howell (14.6 PPG). Coming into tonight N.C. State is ranked 18^th in the country.

The Wolverines have started the season on a hot streak after winning the preseason NIT Championship at Madison Square Garden. There, the Wolverines got past Pittsburgh and Kansas State en route to the tournament championship. Michigan faces possibly its toughest test of the season tonight however when the Wolfpack of N.C. State come to Ann Arbor to try their hand at knocking off the number three team in the country. Led by guards Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. Michigan has looked unstoppable at times this season averaging over 81 PPG as a team while shooting an astonishing 53% from the field. With heralded freshmen Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary contributing as well this is one tough Michigan team.

With the Wolfpack having to travel to Ann Arbor for this game tonight the edge has to lie with the Wolverines. I expect the Crisler Center to be rocking tonight and see a Wolverines win against a tough test from N.C. State.

Pick: Michigan

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Florida State Seminoles (7:15 ESPN2)

The Golden Gophers travel to Tallahassee, Florida tonight to do battle with the Seminoles of Florida State. Minnesota is 6-1 on the season after taking a loss to the Duke Blue Devils at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament last week. On their way to a fifth place finish in the Bahamas the Golden Gophers took down both Memphis and Stanford so to say they bounced back from the Duke loss might be an understatement. The Golden Gophers are a much deeper team than the Seminoles are and this could play a key factor in the outcome of tonight’s game. Look for Minnesota to play up to 11 men in the early going tonight.

Florida State comes into tonight on a bit of a hot streak of its own. The Seminoles bounced back from their season opening defeat at the hands of South Alabama to win four straight including victories over BYU and St. Joes. The Noles hope to ride the momentum of their win in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic into tonight’s game. Look for Michael Snaer to play a big game for Florida State while Trevor Mbakwe is one to watch for the Golden Gophers. The Seminoles have taken the last two meetings between these two schools but I expect the Golden Gophers to go down to the imposing Donald L. Tucker Center and pull off a hard fought win.

Pick: Minnesota  

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (7:15 ESPNU)

The Hawkeyes travel to Blacksburg tonight to take on the undefeated Hokies of Virginia Tech. Iowa comes into tonight’s matchup fresh off a loss to Wichita State where “struggled” doesn’t do the performance put on by the Hawkeyes justice. Iowa made only 26% of its field goal attempts against the Shockers and somehow only managed to lose by 12 points. They will need a much more effective offensive attack tonight as the Hokies are among the leaders in the nation in points per game.

Virginia Tech is off to a hot start in their first season without Seth Greenberg running the show in Blacksburg. Led by guard Erick Green, who is averaging a blistering 24.8 PPG, the Hokies have been scoring at an impressive clip, failing to top the 80 point barrier just once this season. Should the Hokies have similar success against the Hawkeyes tonight on the offensive end this one could get ugly real fast. I expect that the Hokies will be ready for battle tonight and will continue their hot streak to start the season with a win over the Hawkeyes at Cassell Coliseum.

Pick: Virginia Tech

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9:15 ESPNU)

If only they didn’t have to include every school in each league so this game didn’t have to be played. In this matchup you have a school with little to no basketball history, Nebraska, going against a school that has a fairly rich history in basketball but has literally hit rock bottom in Wake Forest.

On the season Wake Forest is 3-2 with losses to UCONN and Iona. Their wins include a 12 point victory of the Radford Highlanders, a three point victory over Mercer and a six point victory over William & Mary. Needless to say the Demon Deacons have been far from world beaters up until this point. The two players to watch out for on offense for the Demon Deacons are C.J. Harris and Travis McKie. Between the two, they account for over 31 PPG on average for this team, or roughly 44% of their offense.

Nebraska travels to Winston-Salem coming off of a 14 point loss to Kent State University on a neutral floor. Offensively, their numbers are well…offensive. The Corn Huskers don’t rank in the top 100 nationally in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game or team field goal percentage.

This matchup presents two very average teams that will more than likely finish the season at the bottom of their respective conferences. Since there has to be a winner, and trust me I checked, I am going to give the edge to Wake Forest simply because they are playing at home. While I don’t expect much of a home court advantage from the crowd at least the Demon Deacons did not have to travel anywhere for this one.

Pick: Wake Forest

There you have it folks, a preview of day one of the ACC – Big 10 Challenge. Be sure to check back tomorrow as I preview all of Wednesday’s matchups and have a full recap of the Maryland vs. Northwestern game. Enjoy the college basketball goodness everyone!