Predicting The Winners Of The ACC-Big 10 Challenge Games

Here are our predictions for the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

The college basketball season is still pretty far away, but it's never too early to speculate how things will play out at the beginning of the season. With that in mind, here are our predictions for the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

Northwestern at Georgia Tech

After earning their first NCAA Tournament berth last season, the Wildcats keep things rolling and start the season with a nice road victory over Georgia Tech. Winner: Northwestern

Duke at Indiana

The Blue Devils lost several key players, but return Grayson Allen and have a top recruiting class coming in. They get the win at Assembly Hall. Winner: Duke

Notre Dame at Michigan State

The Spartans are preseason title favorites, and they prove their legitimacy early with a dominant win at home versus Notre Dame. Winner: Michigan State

Miami at Minnesota

Miami is expected to compete for the ACC crown this season, and the Hurricanes eek out a close win over the Gophers. Winner: Miami

Penn State at NC State

A reenergized NC State program grabs a nice win at home over Penn State. Winner: NC State

Boston College at Nebraska

Both of these teams seem stuck in mediocrity year after year, but Nebraska is at home and that gives them the edge. Winner: Nebraska

Michigan at North Carolina

North Carolina is fresh off a title and might experience a championship hangover. Why not, I'm taking the Wolverines to steal this one on the road. Winner: Michigan

Clemson at Ohio State

Both of these teams are pretty bad, but Ohio State will have a new coach, and they'll be playing at home. Winner: Ohio State

Louisville at Purdue

The Boilermakers lost Caleb Swanigan (but did return some key pieces), while the Cardinals added more elite talent to the roster. Louisville gets it done in West Lafayette, but it's close. Winner: Louisville

Florida State at Rutgers

One of the more lopsided matchups on the list, the Seminoles only lose this game if they don't show up.

Winner: Florida State

Maryland at Syracuse

With Melo Trimble gone, I like Syracuse to win a close one in front of a home crowd. Winner: Syracuse

Wisconsin at Virginia

Two teams that love to play slow, ugly basketball—Virginia wins in what will probably be a 50-48 final score. Winner: Virginia

Iowa at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech takes care of business at home against a mediocre Iowa squad. Winner: Virginia Tech

Illinois at Wake Forest

I think this one will be close and could come down to a buzzer-beater, but I have Wake Forest closing it out to win. Winner: Wake Forest