The ACC/Big Ten challenge began in earnest on Tuesday with a bang. No. 3 Iowa flexed its muscles on No. 16 North Carolina with a 13-point win, No. 6 Illinois went on the road and drubbed No. 10 Duke, Penn State smacked No. 15 Virginia Tech in stunning fashion (by 20 points on the road!), and Ohio State, Minnesota and Rutgers handled their business in big games. Through one day of action in the two-day challenge, it's the Big Ten with the decisive 6-1 advantage.
Now the question is how much the ACC can chip in to that lead. With Michigan State-Virginia canceled over COVID-19 concerns, the league's best efforts on Wednesday with four games on the docket would still leave the Big Ten with the upper hand. Nonetheless, it's a juicy slate on tap with Indiana traveling to Tallahassee, Florida, to take on Florida State, Maryland taking on Clemson and a nightcap between Pittsburgh and undefeated Northwestern.
Wednesday's games
Maryland at Clemson
When: 5 p.m. | Where: Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina
TV: ESPN2 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Strange but true that this is a matchup between two teams in the top 30 of the current KenPom rankings. I'm giving the Tigers the slight edge because they are at home, are superior defensively and, certainly, have the best player on the floor (Aamir Simms). Prediction: Clemson 73, Maryland 68 -- Matt Norlander
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Indiana at No. 20 Florida State
When: 7:15 p.m. | Where: Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
The fact that Indiana has played four times as many games as Florida State concerns me. And Indiana did bounce-back nicely from a 66-44 loss to Texas with a 79-63 win over Stanford. But Leonard Hamilton has turned the Seminoles into one of the most reliable programs in the sport over the past four years. So I'll lay the points and trust Florida State to handle things at home. Prediction: Florida State 67, Indiana 63 -- Gary Parrish
Georgia Tech at Nebraska
When: 7:15 p.m. | Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska
TV: ESPN2 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Don't make a snap judgement based off records on this one. Yes, Georgia Tech is 1-2 with losses at home to Georgia State and Mercer. And yes, Nebraska is 3-1 overall with its lone loss to Nevada by just 3 points. But the Yellow Jackets have the momentum and the goods to get this one done on the road. They knocked off Kentucky in rather resounding fashion Sunday with five players hitting double figures in scoring. This team has the star power and depth to push the Cornhuskers to the brink on the road. I like them to cover and win straight up in this spot. Prediction: Georgia Tech 73, Nebraska 69 -- Kyle Boone
Pittsburgh at Northwestern
When: 9:15 p.m. | Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
TV: ESPN2 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Don't be fooled by Northwestern's 44-point average margin of victory through two games. Those victories came against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Chicago State, which may be the worst two teams in Division I basketball. Pittsburgh has rebounded nicely with a pair of wins since dropping its opener to Saint Francis (PA) and should be able to cover this spread. Prediction: Northwestern 79, Pitt 78 -- David Cobb
