In one of the truest signs that the college basketball offseason is approaching a quicker end than you might expect, the ACC and Big Ten dropped the matchups for next season’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge games. All 14 games will be played over a three-day span (Nov. 28-30) serving as an appetizer to conference play for both power leagues.
As usual, the matchups are hilariously loaded, but in the case of 2022 they are backloaded. Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech and Pitt vs. Northwestern will open play on the first day of the event. Ohio State-Duke and Indiana-North Carolina are among the headliners on the third day. Sandwiched between them are some underrated matchups that include Louisville-Maryland and Virginia-Michigan. It’s hard to set fair matchups, but overall this year should be pretty even.
The ACC still owns a decisive advantage in the ongoing series that began in 1999 — it has won 12 of the 23 events, tied in three of them and lost eight — but the Big Ten is gaining ground with a swiftness. Three of the last events were won by the Big Ten and 11 of the last 13 were either tied or outright wins for the league. After the ACC won the first 10 (!) times from the event’s inception, it has only won twice — in 2016 and 2017 — since. Oh, the drama!
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To get you prepped for this year’s challenge, here is a ranking of all 14 games in order from most appealing to least appealing. Rankings for each team derived from the CBS Sports never-too-early Top 25 (And 1).
Duke fell 71-66 on the road to Ohio State last season in its first loss of the season (and only loss before January). This one figures to not only set up as a revenge game for Duke but doubles as one of the first marquee matchups inside Cameron Indoor Stadium for new Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer, who is taking over the program from the legendary Mike Krzyzewski. The talent level in this game combined with the guarantee of an elite college hoops game atmosphere bumps this one to No. 1 in my rankings over UNC-Indiana.
A tough call for me, bumping UNC-Indiana to No. 2 on this list — the reigning national runner-up in UNC taking on a rejuvenated blueblood in Indiana inside the cathedral that is Assembly Hall is sweet theater –…
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