ACC/Big Ten Challenge 2021: Matchups and locations

According to a string of tweets from college basketball inside Jon Rothstein, we have the matchups for the 2021 ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

 

ACC Home Games

Syracuse vs. Indiana

NC State vs. Nebraska

Pitt vs. Minnesota

Wake Forest vs. Northwestern

North Carolina vs. Michigan

Georgia Tech vs. Wisconsin

Virginia vs. Iowa

 

ACC Away Games

Michigan State vs. Louisville

Penn State vs. Miami

Maryland vs. Virginia Tech

Rutgers vs. Clemson

Illinois vs. Notre Dame

Ohio State vs. Duke

Purdue vs. Florida State

 

Designated Survivor

As is customary, with 14 Big Ten teams, one ACC program must sit out of the event. For the 2021 challenge, that will again be Boston College.

 

Key Matchups

While all 14 matchups present plenty of intrigue, several high-profile affairs will be at the top of the marquee.

With incoming 5-star forward Caleb Houstan, Michigan projects as a top-five team nationally; this will be an early test for Hubert Davis and North Carolina.

Purdue also projects as one of the top teams in the country, too, which should make for a spicy contest with rebuilding-but-talented Florida State. The Boilermakers get back both big man Trevion Williams and star wing Jaden Ivey, one of the top NBA prospects in the country. Purdue will also play NC State later in the season, up in Brooklyn.

In the final ACC/Big Ten Challenge of Mike Krzyzewski’s career, Duke will play at Ohio State — much to the chagrin of Maryland fans. (With that said, Virginia Tech and Maryland should be a really good and fun game.)

The Buckeye also project as a top-five team, although that calculus could change if Duane Washington Jr. stays in the 2021 NBA Draft.

After a tough 2020-21 season, Louisville went out and added a plethora of perimeter shooting in the transfer portal: Matt Cross, Noah Locke and Jarrod West. The matchup with Michigan State, which lost junior wing Aaron Henry, a stud defender, to the NBA Draft, will serve as an early indicator of things to come.

MSU also brings in freshman wing Max Christie, a promising pro prospect, too.

Notre Dame returns a lot of offensive firepower: Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin, Cormac Ryan, Trey Wertz and Nate Lazewski. That’s a surplus of shooting. Illinois was one of the best teams in the country this year, but Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn are headed to the NBA; lefty sniper Adam Miller transferred to LSU. However, sophomore point guard Andre Curbelo — an absolute wizard with the ball — returns.

 

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