The final men’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge is in the books! A staple in the college basketball calendar for more than two decades, the event is a casualty of new TV contracts and is set to be replaced next season by an ACC/SEC Challenge. This year, the ACC won the event 8–6, a surprise given how both leagues were playing coming in.
Here’s a look at the five biggest takeaways from the event, which wrapped up the month of November in the sport.
The ACC needed this
Last week, we highlighted the ACC’s early-season struggles, particularly its losses to low- and mid-major opponents. The league currently ranks sixth in KenPom’s conference rankings as a result, last among the traditional power leagues in college hoops. So much of maximizing NCAA tournament bids leaguewide is about the work done in the nonconference slate, and winning this challenge against a Big Ten that has otherwise been quite impressive this season is a much-needed feather in the ACC’s cap.
There wasn’t one major upset that stood out, but the ACC won the 50/50 games in the event. Miami beat Rutgers, Wake Forest won at Wisconsin, Notre Dame handled a short-handed Michigan State and Clemson held serve at home against Penn State. It’s conceivable that all four of those ACC teams will be sweating on the bubble come March, and adding an extra quality win to their ledgers will help their cases.
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen/USA TODAY Network; Darron Cummings/AP; Rob Kinnan/USA TODAY Sports
Duke’s offense made strides
In Duke’s first four games of the season against high-major opponents, the Blue Devils tallied eight, nine, nine and eight assists. Against Ohio State on Wednesday, Duke put up 16 assists, a number that directly correlates with the Blue Devils’ scoring 81 points in a nine-point win over the Buckeyes. A team that has at times struggled to generate easy shots got far more of them Wednesday, and the Blue Devils also got to the line 30 times, a season high.
Instead of settling for perimeter jumpers, Duke made a conscious effort to get the ball into the paint. The result: efficient days for centers Dereck Lively II and Ryan Young, who were a combined 7–9 from the field for 21 points. This group doesn’t have a knockdown shooter from deep in its ranks, but Duke’s size can be overwhelming, even against physical teams like Ohio State. With two talented creators in the backcourt in Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor to set things up, Duke’s offense might be starting to turn a corner.
Indiana’s improvement is real
North Carolina isn’t the team we thought it would be in the preseason, at least not yet. But Indiana’s convincing performance Wednesday at Assembly Hall against the Tar Heels was further proof that this Hoosiers team is a legitimate Big Ten contender.
The biggest difference this year for Indiana is its backcourt play. The Hoosiers turned a corner late last season when Xavier Johnson found his stride. Johnson has played like one of the better point guards in the country so far this season and tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists against the Heels. Meanwhile, freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino had his best game as a Hoosier with 14 points and six rebounds, and his ball pressure defensively was unrelenting on a UNC backcourt that struggled mightily.
With a center like Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana is always going to be able to beat teams at the rim. Few players in college basketball put more pressure on a defense than Jackson-Davis thanks to his skill level, physicality and mobility. But Indiana is taking better care of the ball around him, is shooting it better from beyond the arc and is deeper than it was a season ago. This team has earned its place in the top 10.
Kris Murray is a National Player of the Year candidate
For the fourth straight year, Iowa has a legitimate National Player of the Year candidate on its roster. This time, it’s Kris Murray, who had one of the most impressive statistical games I can remember in a victory over Georgia Tech on Tuesday. Murray became the first high-major men’s player in the Sports Reference database to have a game with at least 30 points, at least 20 rebounds and at least four made threes. And through seven games, Murray is averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting better than 40% from three and 80% from the free throw line. The only other high-major player to do that over a full season in the last 30 years? Kevin Durant.
Murray’s candidacy for the award will likely be dictated by how good Iowa ends up being. If he can lift the Hawkeyes into contender status in the Big Ten, he’ll at least have a case for the award against the sport’s dominant bigs like Jackson-Davis, Zach Edey, Drew Timme and reigning winner Oscar Tshiebwe. Regardless, Murray’s development from little-used freshman to sixth man as a sophomore to superstar as a junior has been incredibly impressive as he continues to follow in the footsteps of his twin brother, Keegan, a top-five pick in the most recent NBA draft.
Steve Forbes working his magic at Wake Forest
Last year’s breakthrough second season for Forbes in Winston-Salem came out of nowhere, aided by the remarkable emergence of transfers Alondes Williams and Jake LaRavia. But after both departed for the NBA, expectations were once again low at Wake coming into the year. Yet here the Demon Deacons are, now 7–1 after winning at Wisconsin on Tuesday, with their lone loss coming in OT against Loyola Marymount in a game they led by eight with 90 seconds to play.
This season’s star transfer is Tyree Appleby, a well-traveled point guard with previous stops at Cleveland State and Florida. Appleby had 32 points against the Badgers and is now averaging more than 19 points, four rebounds and five assists per game. Forbes’s offense is a paradise for point guards who can make plays in ball screens, and Appleby has been the primary beneficiary. Delaware transfer Andrew Carr has also exceeded expectations, and sophomore combo guard Cameron Hildreth has been a quiet breakout star. This group has NCAA tournament upside.
