2012 Big Ten - ACC Challenge matchups - Michigan hosts NC State
The 2012 B1G-ACC Challenge matchups were released today. Michigan will host NC State this fall.
2012 ACC/Big Ten Challenge schedule (times and networks are to be determined):
Tue, Nov 27
North Carolina at Indiana
NC State at Michigan
Minnesota at Florida State
Maryland at Northwestern
Iowa at Virginia Tech
Nebraska at Wake Forest
Wed, Nov 28
Ohio State at Duke
Virginia at Wisconsin
Michigan State at Miami
Purdue at Clemson
Georgia Tech at Illinois
Boston College at Penn State
Should be an interesting matchup. NC State returns CJ Leslie and brings in a stellar recruiting class while Michigan returns Trey Burke and also brings in a stellar recruiting class.
Other than Nebraska vs. Anybody, MSU vs. Miami seems like the weakest matchup to me.
I was actually thinking Iowa v. Virginia Tech is weak. VT is a program in disarray while Iowa could be a NCAA Tournament team this year. McCaffrey has put together a solid class.
I should rephrase, I meant in terms of most uneven matchup. Iowa vs. VTech is just boring.
but the NC State matchup makes sense and should be a good game.
NC State could be a legitimate national title contender next year.
I was hoping for Duke or UNC. NC State may be better than either or both of those teams next year, but they won't have the name recognition.
EDIT: As important as RPI is, this may not turn out to be a bad thing after all. I take back my disappointment.
NC STATE may be the preseason favorite for the ACC title. BRING IT ON!
Dubya
My thoughts:
| Game | BIG TEN | ACC | ||||
| Edge | Slight Edge | EVEN | Slight Edge | Edge | Notes | |
| UNC @ Indiana | X | Top team at home | ||||
| NCST @ UM | X | Very even, home court puts it in UM's favor | ||||
| MINN @ FSU | X | Minn slightly better likely but on road | ||||
| MD @ NW | X | Likely ACC win | ||||
| IOWA @ VT | X | Both mediocre teams | ||||
| OSU @ Duke | X | Very even- perhaps slight edge to Duke with home court | ||||
| UVA @ WISC | X | Good UW team at home | ||||
| MSU @ MIAMI | X | MSU will be top team again | ||||
| PURD @ CLEM | X | Both mediocre teams | ||||
| GT @ ILL | X | Both mediocre teams | ||||
| BC @ PSU | X | Both mediocre teams | ||||
Purdue has good recruits but loses two top players and is coming off a year they beat no top teams other than us if I recall correctly- plus game is on the road so I don't think they have better than 50-50 odds or so.
Iowa if they can take steps could be decent- but similar to Purdue had few big wins and a road game so unlikely to have a great shot.
And Minnesota is good I agree- but on the road at FSU is very tough (they always seem to knock of top teams there). Due to that hard to say they are favorites even if slight.
NC State returns their 4 leading scorers from a Sweet 16 team and adds a recruiting class that most services rank better than ours. On a neutral court, NC State would probably be favored.
I can see that point.
We also have a recruiting class that is highly ranked and are pre-season top 10 like them.
I can certainly respect the arguement they should be better (largely due to a better tourney)- but at home I think we have slight edge, neutral even, and if it were there I'd expect them to win. Home court means a lot- just look at what we did last year.
I do think that especially early in the season, MSU will struggle to replace the impact left by Draymond Green's departure. That guy lead their team in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and 3s, and was 3 assists away from leading in that too.
Duke people are VERY down on next years team. They have lost a lot and don't have a bunch coming back. I would flip that to slight edge OSU at this point.
FINALLY a B1G/ACC challenge home game.
For selfish reasons I wish this game was away, as I live in Raleigh and don't get many chances to see Michigan play. For the good of everyone else, I share your joy.
I would have loved to hang out at the RBC rocking a maize rage shirt. I went to the IU NCSU game last year and that was a great game until the last 10 minutes. Big 10 should win again this year.
I live less than two miles from NC State's arena and get to a few games each year. I think that they return four starters from a Sweet 16 team. The incoming recruiting class is very good but lacks a big man. TJ Warren actually played at Brewster Academy with Mitch McGary this year.
Due to transfers (sound familiar?) , NC State has almost NO depth outside of the incoming freshman. Michigan should be a little deeper, especially down low (when's the last time that you heard that?). Michigan needs to take the ball to the hole and get NCSU in foul trouble early. Then use the depth to run them out of Crisler.
This will be a HUGE game for Michigan, particularly because I don't want to hear crap from the Wolfpack Nation. FWIW.....their complex in relationship to UNC is much, much larger than Sparty's is to UM.
Michigan in comparison returns Burke, Hardaway & Morgan with Vogrich and Horford as contributors and will probably need 2 freshmen to start. NC State agreed does not have much size, but either do we.
Our roster next year is actually pretty tall!
We have been way undersized during the Beilein years but not this next year especially if recruits play early.
Burke, Vogrich, and Spike are only guys that will regularly play that don't have very decent size.
I'm specifically thinking about Morgan, Horford and McGary against Richard Howell (rhymes with foul) for NCSU. CJ Leslie has some height but he's not a banger. NCSU's top big man off the bench transferred to be closer to home (even though it's only three hours away). Conversely, Michigan will be adding Horford and McGary. I like the match up down low.
Howell is 6-8.
Here are our scholarship players:
| Player | Height |
| Burke | 5. 11 |
| Albrecht | 6. 1 |
| Vogrich | 6. 4 |
| LeVert | 6. 5 |
| THJ | 6. 6 |
| Staukas | 6. 6 |
| GR III | 6. 6 |
| Biefeldt | 6. 7 |
| Morgan | 6. 8 |
| Horford | 6. 10 |
| McGary | 6. 10 |
| McLimans | 6. 10 |
They have some 6-8 guys and a 6-9 center. Tallest recruit is 6-7.
So I' agree with raleighwood- feeling good about the matchups.
Sure 7 foot guys may be tough, but we have a deep and energetic big-man rotation and damn teams are gonna have trouble guarding our guards (Burke can be unguardable, and the other guys are all 6-4 plus- potentially all 6-6 plus). Should be a very different future than what we've been used to. No more Novak at PF getting posterized (remember him guarding Griffin...)- should be us outmatching teams with height for most games now!
I thought Virginia was going to make a return trip to Crisler this year. I wanted to pound them after what happened last season.
They are one of the hosts (along with us, Pitt, and Kansas State) in the Preseason NIT so we could play them at MSG.
I agree with your sentiment on Green. Whenever he came out of the game, the opposing team would make a huge run and who could forgot the way the Illinois game ended.
I like it. This will most likely be a top 10 matchup between two very talented teams.
that's a really tough matchup but I'm confident Beilein will get it done!
It's not a bad matchup, although it seems like we play them every couple of years. I guess our programs are on parallel courses.
That UNC-IU would have been really interesting last year if the Zeller brothers played against each other. Its still going to be a great game