On Monday afternoon, the upcoming Big Ten/ACC Men's Basketball Challenge was announced, giving fans the matchups for each team. Before diving into which games attract our eyes early on, here are all the matchups in late November/early December.
Nov. 29
Iowa at Virginia
Notre Dame at Illinois
Nov. 30
Florida State at Purdue
Indiana at Syracuse
Minnesota at Pittsburgh
Duke at Ohio State
Clemson at Rutgers
Northwestern at Wake Forest
Dec. 1
Virginia Tech at Maryland
Louisville at Michigan State
Miami at Penn State
Michigan at North Carolina
Wisconsin at Georgia Tech
Nebraska at NC State
Here are the games that have our eyes, with a little Phenom Hoops flavor:
Nebraska at NC State (Dec. 1)
This is a game that may not get the national attention but should have the attention with Phenom Hoops. Why' We get a chance to watch Bryce and Trey McGowens on the court again. Bryce comes in as one of the top players in his class and Trey, coming from North Carolina, is back on the court and looking to lead the Cornhuskers. For NC State, they also have a few Phenom alums returning to the court. It will be interesting to see how Manny Bates has improved since coming back, while Cam Hayes will have a year under his belt. Not to forget, Garner native Thomas Allen looks to step up his play, big man Jaylon Gibson could see more minutes, and watch out for Dereon Seabron. When you also add Terquavion Smith and Breon Pass are two highly-touted freshmen coming in and Greg Gantt is coming back home, there is a lot of interest in this game with fans around the area and Phenom Hoops.
Iowa at Virginia (Nov. 29)
An interesting game between two tremendous programs but both are going to be looking a little different next season. What will Iowa look like without Luka Gaza running the show for the Hawkeyes' UVa lost some good talent as well but also added some very good talent, including NC-native Jayden Gardner. He was a dominant piece at East Carolina, putting up impressive numbers but will he be able to do the same playing for a national-level team' It will be fun to watch.
Florida State at Purdue (Nov. 30)
Talk about size… These two teams have just that. Both teams will be looking to have a ranking in front of their name, so that should already grab the attention of many. But when you have multiple players that are 7-footers for both teams, it is going to be fun to watch the battle in the paint. But also, Caleb Mills, an NC native coming from Houston, will be back on the court and look to make his mark in the ACC, while players like Matthew Cleveland should have FSU fans excited. But they will be going up against Trevion Williams and Jaden Ivey, two really good players for Purdue.
Michigan at North Carolina (Dec. 1)
Bringing in the top recruiting class will certainly land you on this list and with Michigan hitting the road to go to Chapel Hill, certainly will bring in the storylines. The Wolverines could be ranked as one of the top teams in the country coming in and only will be adding players like Caleb Houstan, Moussa Diabate, Frankie Collins, and transfer DeVante Jones. It will be Hubert Davis' first season as the head coach at UNC and he will be returning some talent in Armando Bacot and Caleb Love, while Phenom alums like Dontrez Styles and D'Marco Dunn look to make their mark early.
Duke at Ohio State (Nov. 30)
It is the last season for Coach K… that alone will get you on top of the list of must-see games but the Blue Devils also bring in some incredible talent like Paolo Banchero, Al Griffin, Trevor Keels, and others, while also returning Mark Williams, who we have seen a ton over the last few years. They will be hitting the road to take on Ohio State, who should have a balanced attack especially if a few key players return. But with players like Kyle Young, Seth Towns, Jamari Wheeler, Joey Brunk, and several others, the Buckeyes should be in the national picture once again.
