What Did We Learn From the 2008 ACC/Big Ten Challenge?

The 10th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge has now ended with the ACC winning the series for the tenth straight year. Despite a few of the scores, there were some close matchups and the Big Ten had a pretty good showing. They've closed the gap a bit by only losing six games to five.

But what did we learn from the 2008 version of the Challenge?

ACC's Best Is Better: Well, we did learn that the ACC's best is a great deal better than the Big Ten's best. North Carolina went up to Michigan State (well, Ford Field in Detroit) and destroyed the Spartans by 35 points. That came a night after Duke went to Purdue and beat the Boilermakers by 16. These are the two best teams in their respective conferences and all have Final Four aspirations. Yet the ACC went into Big Ten country and flexed their muscle.

Add into the fact that Wake Forest predictably hammered Indiana and the ACC's top three teams came up roses.

Big Ten's Bottom Half Is Better: One of the reasons the ACC has dominated the Challenge is because their bottom teams are better that the cellar dwellers of the Big Ten. That wasn't true this year. Northwestern handled Florida State pretty well; Penn State went to Atlanta and beat Georgia Tech; Minnesota did in Virginia. I'm not sure if it is because the Big Ten is deeper this year or the ACC has some stinkers. I'm thinking the latter.

Middle Is a Mixed Bag: We didn't learn much from those teams stuck in the middle but it looks like the ACC is a bit better. Clemson went into Illinois and beat the Illini ... just as Maryland topped Michigan. Both showed that they could be teams to reckon with in ACC play and could have NCAA tournament dreams. The Big Ten did get a big win with Wisconsin's buzzer beater at Virginia Tech.

Miami Needs Jack McClinton: If there was one scary sign for any one team during the Challenge, it was the fact that the Miami Hurricanes cannot win without McClinton. McClinton scored 12 of the Canes 19 points when he was ejected for swiping his hand at an Ohio State player. They gave up their big lead and looked raggedy down the stretch. When stuff like this happens, opponents know they can get under McClinton's skin. He now has all eyes on what he does and may not get the benefit of the doubt if anything like that happens again.

Road Is Where the Heart Is: Usually home court advantage is key in the Challenge. Not this year. Michigan State, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Miami-FL, Illinois and Georgia Tech all lost at home. Coming into the season, the ACC had won 33 of 37 at home.

North Carolina Is That Good: Just because they look good on paper doesn't mean that they will bring home the hardware. Their showing in the Maui Invitational and that 35-point beatdown of Michigan State just showed everyone that they are committed and serious about winning the whole thing. Aside from a New Year's Eve game at Nevada, there isn't any one standing in Carolina's path before conference play starts in January.

Duke May Be That Good, Too: How Duke played on the road in a lively building goes a long way into believing the Blue Devils will be here for the long haul. Kyle Singler has emerged as their best player, Jon Scheyer showed his flexibility and their defense and rebounding have been outstanding. Who is looking forward to Duke-UNC this year?