Big Ten ACC Challenge 2014 Schedule: TV Info, Live Stream and Predictions

The great nonconference battles in college basketball keep on coming with the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

While the early-season tournaments provided fans with plenty of excitement over the past few weeks, the high-profile matchups are not ending just yet. They continue when the top teams in the Big Ten play for pride and quality wins to add to the resume against the best squads from the ACC.

The three-day event is intended to prove which is the best conference, but the true fun is simply watching each big-time matchup, many of which could be previews for late NCAA tournament battles.

Here is a full look at the schedule for the upcoming week with a breakdown of the best games to watch.

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Pick
Dec. 1	Rutgers at Clemson	7 p.m.	ESPNU	RUT
Dec. 1	Nebraska at Florida State	7 p.m.	ESPN2	NEB
Dec. 2	Pittsburgh at Indiana	7 p.m.	ESPN2	PIT
Dec. 2	Minnesota at Wake Forest	7 p.m.	ESPNU	MIN
Dec. 2	Syracuse at Michigan	7:30 p.m.	ESPN	SYR
Dec. 2	Illinois at Miami (FL)	9 p.m.	ESPN2	MIA
Dec. 2	North Carolina State at Purdue	9 p.m.	ESPNU	NCSU
Dec. 2	Ohio State at Louisville	9:30 p.m.	ESPN	LOU
Dec. 3	Michigan State at Notre Dame	7:15 p.m.	ESPN2	MSU
Dec. 3	Virginia Tech at Penn State	7:15 p.m.	ESPNU	PSU
Dec. 3	Iowa at North Carolina	7:30 p.m.	ESPN	UNC
Dec. 3	Georgia Tech at Northwestern	9:15 p.m.	ESPNU	NW
Dec. 3	Virginia at Maryland	9:15 p.m.	ESPN2	UVA
Dec. 3	Duke at Wisconsin	9:30 p.m.	ESPN	DUKE

All games can be viewed online at Watch ESPN.  

Top Games

Syracuse at Michigan

Rich Barnes/Getty Images

These two teams were expected to rebuild after losing key players from last season, but both Michigan and Syracuse have a 5-1 record to start the year, with the only losses coming to top teams in New York City.

The Wolverines lost to Villanova at Madison Square Garden in the Legends Classic, while California defeated the Orange at the 2K Classic. Despite having a lot of question marks coming into the year, both teams will likely be headed to the NCAA tournament in March.

However, this game will come down to matchups, and this highly favors Syracuse. Michigan's biggest weakness is an inexperienced frontcourt, and it is something the Orange can expose with Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough.

Jeremy Ryan of WKTV notes the potential for the duo:

In six games, the frontcourt tandem is combining for 32.8 points, 17.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game. They should be able to feast against the Wolverines' undersized freshmen.

Caris LeVert and Zak Irvin will be limited by the 2-3 zone on the other end of the court, and the Orange should be able to earn a quality road win. 

Prediction: Syracuse 65, Michigan 58

Ohio State at Louisville

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There are a lot of things to like about Ohio State's play so far this season, starting with the scoring ability of D'Angelo Russell and Shannon Scott's passing ability.

The problem is that aside from a matchup with a young Marquette team, the Buckeyes have not been challenged. The toughest test might've come in the last game, where they had to gut out a 73-56 win over James Madison.

Senior Sam Thompson explained after the game why this could be a learning experience for the squad:

"

We got off to a hot start and then, for whatever reason, we really slowed ourselves down. Take nothing away from them, but we thought we stopped attacking, we stopped looking to be aggressive on the offensive end. 

Sometimes you’ve got to win like that. You’re not going to score 100 points every game shooting 65 percent. We obviously don’t want to play like that, but you’ve got to find ways to win.

"

Unfortunately, it will be much tougher to find ways to win against Louisville, which is always difficult to score against. According to KenPom.com, the Cardinals currently have the most efficient defense in the nation.

The full-court pressure will get to the Buckeyes and force plenty of mistakes, allowing Louisville to then get easy opportunities on the other end.

In a fast-paced game, Rick Pitino's squad will showcase its ability with a relatively easy win at home.

Prediction: Louisville 76, Ohio State 64

Duke at Wisconsin

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Outside of maybe Kentucky, these two teams have been two of the most impressive in the nation to start the season.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports breaks down why there is so much excitement for this game:

The most interesting storyline of this game will be how Duke's talented freshmen stack up against Wisconsin's experienced upperclassmen.

Frank Kaminsky, Traevon Jackson and Sam Dekker have already accomplished a lot in their time at Wisconsin and are hoping to end their careers with a national title. They know what it takes to gut out close wins regardless of the opponent.

On the other hand, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones have been outstanding to star their careers at Duke and help create one of the deepest lineups head coach Mike Krzyzewski has ever had.

The Blue Devils have the strength to score inside and the athleticism to cover the outside shot from any position. This makes them one of the few teams capable of matching up with the Badgers, and it will help them pull out a win.

Prediction: Duke 69, Wisconsin 67 

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