Indiana vs. Duke, UNC vs. Michigan highlight Big Ten-ACC Challenge lineup

The Big Ten-ACC Challenge has been announced for 2018, and it will feature some marquee non-conference showdowns (and also Pitt-Iowa). College basketball blue blood matchups like Indiana-Duke, North Carolina-Michigan, and Virginia-Maryland will spice up the early season schedule with games that could go a long way in deciding seeds at the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

There are several games that could qualify as headliners. The Hoosiers are working their way back to contender status after signing five-star guard Romeo Langford atop a recruiting class with three other blue chip recruits. They’ll join a steady core that returns last year’s leading scorer Juwan Morgan. Beating Duke — whose 2018 incoming class may be one of the best in NCAA history — would be a major statement for Indiana.

Rival North Carolina should have its hands full against a Michigan team that ran all the way to the national championship game this spring before falling to Villanova’s juggernaut. The Tar Heels bring back the bulk of last year’s top 15 along with a pair of five-star recruits and should be a trendy Final Four pick early on. The Wolverines will have to deal with the departures of Moritz Wagner and Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman, but emerging star Charles Matthews could keep his team battling for the Big Ten title.

Virginia will have plenty to prove after last year’s dispiriting, history-making loss to UMBC in the NCAA Tournament. Seven of the top 10 players from last year’s 1-seed return this fall to face a Maryland team that should remain competitive in 2018-19 even without Kevin Huerter, whose stock rose so dramatically in pre-draft workouts he decided to jump to the NBA.

Elsewhere, Syracuse and Ohio State is another matchup of powerhouse programs who are each capable of making major runs in 2019, even if the Buckeyes struggle to replace Keita Bates-Diop. Clemson will attempt to keep its recent streak of strong performances moving against a Nebraska team that had NCAAT hopes in 2018 and will be led by a veteran backcourt this winter. Florida State will work to provide its top 25 bonafides against Purdue — and the same goes for Virginia Tech when travels to face Penn State.

Here’s the full schedule for the Big Ten-ACC Challenge: