The 20th ACC-Big Ten Challenge concluded Wednesday night, with the two conferences splitting 14 college basketball games over three days. After the ACC won the first 10 of these challenges (1999-2008), the two conferences have split three of the last five years. The ACC leads the overall series 12-5-3.
2018 ACC-Big Ten Challenge bracket and results
Here’s everything you need to know about the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, with each conference winning 7 games.
No. 7 Michigan had an easy time at home in beating No. 11 North Carolina on Wednesday, then No. 15 Florida State came back at home to stun No. 19 Purdue, the final game of the challenge to ensure the tie.
Through the first two nights home teams were 7-1, including Louisville holding serve against No. 9 Michigan State, and Penn State taking out No. 13 Virginia Tech. But on Wednesday the road teams got their pound of flesh, including No. 4 Virginia winning at No. 24 Maryland, and Syracuse winning at No. 16 Ohio State. Away teams won the first three games on Wednesday, including Rutgers winning at Miami.
Home teams finished 10-4 in the challenge, and higher-ranked teams went 6-3 over the three days.
ACC-Big Ten Challenge 2018 scoreboard
Big Ten: 7
ACC: 7
ACC-Big Ten Challenge results
Wednesday, Nov. 28
Rutgers 57, Miami 54
Syracuse 72, Ohio State 62
Virginia 76, Maryland 71
Northwestern 67, Georgia Tech 61
Michigan 84, North Carolina 67
Florida State 73, Purdue 72
Tuesday, Nov. 27
Notre Dame 76, Illinois 74
Penn State 63, Virginia Tech 62
Louisville 82, Michigan State 78
Wisconsin 79, N.C. State 75
Iowa 69, Pittsburgh 68
Duke 90, Indiana 69
Monday, Nov. 26
Nebraska 68, Clemson 66
Boston College 68, Minnesota 56
ACC-Big Ten Challenge preview
Indiana visits Duke in the challenge’s marquee game on Tuesday night. Duke is coming off its first loss of the season against Gonzaga in the championship game of the Maui Invitational. Expect the Blue Devils to rebound in a big way led by star freshmen Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cameron Reddish. Indiana has its own freshmen stud — projected top-10 draft pick Romeo Langford — which means this will be a game of interest for NBA scouts and GMs.
Michigan hosts North Carolina in Wednesday’s headline game. The two teams played in this event last season with UNC winning by 15 points before Michigan caught fire at the end of the season and made it all the way to the national title game. Carolina is 6-1 with a loss to Texas, while the Wolverines are unbeaten. It will be a fascinating matchup between the Tar Heels’ high-powered offense and Michigan’s lockdown defense.
There are so many other interesting games. Purdue star point guard Carsen Edwards faces a deep and experienced Florida State team on Wednesday. Michigan State looks to keep its impressive start going against Louisville. Penn State would love a resume boosting win over Virginia Tech. Syracuse-Ohio State is a showdown of two teams that should be around in March.
Can the Big Ten get back on top after a decisive win for the ACC last year? We’ll keep this post updated with scores throughout the event. You can find the schedule for the 2018 ACC-Big Ten Challenge below.
ACC-Big Ten Challenge 2018 bracket
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