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Brent Yarina's Bio: BigTenNetwork.com editor Brent Yarina takes you around Big Ten athletics, on and off the court. |
It's been a challenge, all right, but this could be the Big Ten's year
| Nov 30 2009, 1:50 PM | Topic: Talking Big Ten | ||
I hesitate to write this, but, wait for it ... this could be the Big Ten's year. Why, you ask? Well, the conference is as deep as it has been in years, and that's safe to say even on the heels of last week's disappointment that saw previously ranked Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota all lose twice. On top of that, the Big Ten has six home games, to the ACC's five, one year after having four true home games (Michigan State played North Carolina at Ford Field). Finally, it's not like the ACC has dominated this series as much as the 10-0 advantage indicates. On five occasions, in fact, the Big Ten has fallen one game short, including last season's 6-5 ledger. All signs point toward it being another close final tally, but if Indiana, Iowa or Penn State can pull out a victory, the Big Ten should end its extended run of futility. THE SLATE Monday Penn State (4-2) @ Virginia (4-2), 7 ET ESPN2 Tuesday Wake Forest (4-1) @ Purdue (5-0), 7 ET ESPN Northwestern (5-1) @ North Carolina St. (5-0), 7 ET ESPNU Maryland (4-2) @ Indiana (3-3), 7:30 ET ESPN2 Michigan St. (5-1) @ North Carolina (6-1), 9 ET ESPN Virginia Tech (4-1) @ Iowa (2-4), 9:30 ET ESPN2 Wednesday Illinois (4-2) @ Clemson (6-1), 7:15 ET ESPN Minnesota (4-2) @ Miami (7-0), 7:15 ET ESPNU Boston College (4-2) @ Michigan (3-2), 7:30 ET ESPN2 Duke (6-0) @ Wisconsin (4-1), 9:15 ET ESPN Florida State (6-1) @ Ohio State (5-1), 9:30 ET ESPN2 Big Ten team most likely to win: Purdue - The Boilermakers, ranked in the top 5 of this week's AP poll, get a home game and take on a Wake Forest team that just lost to William & Mary. Runner-up: Ohio State - Thad Matta's Buckeyes are playing as well as anyone in the Big Ten and they might have the nation's hottest player in Evan Turner. Big Ten team most likely to lose: Indiana - While the Hoosiers are better than they were when they traveled to Wake Forest last year, they're still not a great match for the ACC's top-tier teams. Runner-up: Northwestern - The Wildcats are fresh off the Chicago Invitational Challenge title, however they've yet to play a game outside of Chicago, let alone the state, and are playing at undefeated North Carolina State. Can't-miss game: Michigan State @ North Carolina - Neither of last season's encounters were all that close, including the national title game, but the Tar Heels lost so much talent that this meeting of perennial powers is certain to be far more competitive. Runner-up: Duke @ Wisconsin - The Badgers may not have an answer for standout Kyle Singler, but the Badgers rarely, if ever, get blown out and are playing this one at the Kohl Center. Odd team out: Georgia Tech - Because the ACC boasts 12 teams, to the Big Ten's 11, the Yellow Jackets sit out this year's event. 'CHALLENGE' NUMBERS 10 Duke's wins in the event, the most by any team 8 ACC teams with a winning record in the event 5 Michigan State's wins in the event, the most by a Big Ten team 2 Undefeated teams: Duke (10-0) and Boston College (3-0) 1 Big Ten teams with a winning record in the event 0 Miami's wins in the event, the fewest by any team MORE NUMBERS 60-12 The combined record of ACC teams entering the event 47-19 The combined record of Big Ten teams entering the event 3 ACC teams that enter with a perfect record (Duke, Miami, North Carolina St.) 2 Big Ten teams ranked in the top 10 (Purdue and Michigan St.) 1 ACC teams ranked in the top 10 (Duke) |
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