What you need to know about the ACC/Big Ten Challenge

ByC.L. BROWN
November 29, 2016, 9:40 PM

— -- By now each team has played enough games that we're starting to know what to expect. Maybe not on a Dennis Green "they are who we thought they were" level, but identities as well as tendencies are starting to take shape.

Before the ACC-Big Ten Challenge tips off, here's a look at strengths and weaknesses of all 28 teams involved.

Minnesota at Florida State

7 p.m. ET, Monday, ESPNU


Gophers' strength: Minnesota's interior defense has improved thanks to 6-foot-10 center Reggie Lynch and his 18 blocks. The Gophers lead the Big Ten averaging 6.7 blocks per game.


Gophers' weakness: Take away? Dupree McBrayer's 8 of 17 3-point attempts and the team is shooting just 30.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Seminoles' strength: Leonard Hamilton's teams, long known for defense, could be defined for scoring this season. Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac average a combined 33 points per game and are shooting a combined 49 percent from 3-point range.

Seminoles' weakness: Can get complacent with a lead as evidenced by the 18-point second-half cushion they let evaporate against Temple in an 89-86 loss.


Demon Deacons' strength: Keyshawn Woods leads the team in shooting 66.7 percent (14 of 21) from 3-point range, and five other players with at least two attempts per game are all shooting greater than 34 percent from beyond the arc.


Demon Deacons' weakness: Wake doesn't have a very deep frontcourt and it doesn't get to the offensive boards very much. The Demon Deacons rank second to last in the league with 9.3 per game.


Wildcats' strength: Northwestern can match Wake from 3-point range as it leads the Big Ten as a team shooting 43.5 percent from deep.


Wildcats' weakness: Defensively they don't create much havoc. Opponents are turning the ball over an average of just 11.7 times a game against Northwestern.


Panthers' strength: It's, gasp, scoring. That's something that never would have been said under Jamie Dixon, but Michael Young (24.4) and Jamel Artis (19.8) lead the ACC in scoring average.


Panthers' weakness: Kevin Stallings' debut in the Challenge finds him sticking with his starters -- five Pitt players average more than 25 minutes per game including three in the 32-plus range. At some point that could cost them.


Terrapins' strength: There's something to be said about Maryland finding a way to win in close games. Five of the Terrapins' seven wins have come in games decided by six points or fewer, and Melo Trimble is still one of the best late-game closers in college basketball.


Terrapins' weakness: There still can be a tendency to watch Trimble work on offense because Maryland doesn't have a surplus of tremendously skilled players on offense. They shoot just 42.3 percent from the field.


Yellow Jackets' strength: Forward Ben Lammers has been a pleasant surprise, averaging 17.6 points and 10.8 rebounds. The Jackets score 60 percent of their points from inside the arc.

Yellow Jackets' weakness: Tech ranks last in the ACC in scoring offense, generating only 72.2 points per game.


Nittany Lions' strength: Tony Carr (92.0), Lamar Stevens (91.4) and Shep Garner (87.5) are the three players most likely to have the ball in a close game and all shoot lights out from the free throw line.


Nittany Lions' weakness: Penn State doesn't have a lineup full of players who can break a defense down and get open shots. It ranks last in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, shooting 41.8 percent per game.


Orange's strength: Jim Boeheim has made the zone defense a lot more active this season, even extending it for jump traps by his guards. Syracuse ranked No. 1 nationally with a 36.5 effective field goal percentage defense, according to Ken Pomeroy.


Orange's weakness: For a team that doesn't push the pace of the game, Syracuse is committing too many turnovers. It had 17 in its 64-50 loss to South Carolina.


Badgers' strength: Wisconsin ranks seventh nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, according to Ken Pomeroy. The loss to North Carolina is the only game in which it has been outrebounded.


Badgers' weakness: Wisconsin is averaging just 31 percent from 3-point range. Arguably its best two players, Bronson Koenig (24.6) and Nigel Hayes (29.0) are both struggling to convert from deep.


Wolfpack's strength: With the additions of Dennis Smith Jr., Terry Henderson and Torin Dorn, they are a much better perimeter-shooting team. The trio accounts for 34 of the team's 39 made 3-pointers.


Wolfpack's weakness: They don't rebound well as a team, sitting at minus-two in rebounding margin, which ranks last in the ACC.


Illini's strength: Coach John Groce has more depth than his previous teams and he'll go 10 or 11 deep depending on the game.


Illini's weakness: As demonstrated with 24 turnovers against West Virginia, Illinois can be sloppy with the ball. The team has yet to find an identity, something it does really well on a consistent basis.


Hawkeyes' strength: Peter Jok can carry the team on an off night. He has scored 30 points or more twice this season, including a career-high 42 points against Memphis.


Hawkeyes' weakness: Iowa has to start caring more about playing defense. It ranks last in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (46.0) and 3-point percentage defense (41.8).


Fighting Irish's strength: Matt Farrell has made the angst over replacing point guard Demetrius Jackson all for naught as Notre Dame ranks No. 1 nationally in offensive turnover percentage, according to Ken Pomeroy.


Fighting Irish's weakness: Although the Irish are shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, they can be overly reliant on perimeter play at the expense of driving and getting fouled. Only Virginia gets to the free throw line at a lower rate in the ACC.


Spartans' strength: Despite the team stumbling against a tough schedule, freshman Miles Bridges has established himself as one of the best players in the nation.


Spartans' weakness: A thin frontcourt is causing very un-Izzo like rebounding numbers. But more than anything else, Michigan State has limited options on offense outside of Bridges.


Blue Devils' strength:?The four-guard lineup has found its comfort zone with freshman Frank Jackson and sophomore Luke Kennard playing better than expected.


Blue Devils' weakness: Usually Mike Krzyzewski tones down contact in practice near the end of the season. With all of their injuries, he has had to do it in the opening month. If Duke doesn't get rebounding from its perimeter players, it is vulnerable to getting beat on the boards.


Hokies' strength: Zach LeDay leads the team in scoring (16.6) and rebounding (7.7) despite having come off the bench in every game.


Hokies' weakness: Rebounding could eventually be their Achilles' heel. The Hokies rank 278th in offensive rebounding percentage, according to Ken Pomeroy, and have a rebounding margin of only plus-one.


Wolverines' strength: Michigan leads the Big Ten in scoring defense, giving up only 57.7 points per game.


Wolverines' weakness: While the 3s are falling, everything will be OK in Ann Arbor. But when they don't ... Michigan is going to ride or die from 3-point range, averaging 47 percent of their field goal attempts from beyond the arc. That leads all Big Ten teams.


Boilermakers' strength: The size and skill of their frontcourt will be difficult for many opponents to match. Caleb Swanigan is playing up to his potential with 18.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.


Boilermakers' w eakness: Backcourt play can still be suspect. Purdue is in the negative in turnover margin and it still hasn't had a point guard emerge who can truly run the team.

Cardinals' strength: Louisville's defense can be suffocating -- especially against teams that rely on scoring from the post. Louisville ranks second nationally in adjusted defense.


Cardinals' weakness: Baylor exposed their struggles to generate offense in a half-court setting. The Cards don't shoot the ball well, ranking last in the ACC at 40.9 percent.


Scarlet Knights' strength: Rutgers is relentless on the offensive boards, ranking No. 1 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage.


Scarlet Knights' weakness: They've built confidence against a soft schedule but must prove they can handle the ball better as the competition level cranks up. Their turnover percentage ranks 230th nationally, according to Ken Pomeroy.


Hurricanes' strength: The experienced backcourt of? Ja'Quan Newton?and Davon Reed has essentially seen and done it all. The duo brings stability and leadership to the lineup.


Hurricanes' weakness: Miami dropped a long way from having Sheldon McClellan shooting from deep. The Canes are dead last in the ACC shooting just 31.3 percent from 3-point range.


Cornhuskers' strength: Senior guard Tai Webster has elevated his play with the Huskers looking to him more to generate offense. He has responded by increasing his shooting percentages from the field (61.2), the 3-point line (40.0) and the free throw line (81.1).


Cornhuskers' weakness: Most of their scoring comes from individual efforts and not within the flow of the offense. Nebraska averages just 10.7 assists per game, which is last in the Big Ten.


Tigers' strength: Not many teams have an individual talent like Jaron Blossomgame. Although he's off to a slow start from 3-point range making only 3 of 16 attempts, their offense is still in good hands running through him.


Tigers' weakness: Clemson simply isn't defending very well. A perfect example was how it allowed Xavier's J.P. Macura to score 28 points before finally figuring out he could shoot.


Tar Heels' strength: UNC has a veteran squad led by point guard Joel Berry II that puts pressure on other teams to keep up with its scoring. The Heels average 92.9 points per game and have four players starting capable of 20-point games.


Tar Heels' weakness: They don't have a true rim protector, so if a team drives the ball there's no one waiting to erase a defensive mistake. Carolina is last in the ACC with 2.4 blocked shots per game.


Hoosiers' strength: Indiana averages 10.5 3-pointers per game, which is tops in the Big Ten and anybody can make them -- including center Thomas Bryant, who is shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.


Hoosiers' weakness: Indiana can fall in love with 3s, as in its 7 of 24 performance in the 71-68 overtime loss to Fort Wayne. IU still hasn't found someone to replace the poise of Yogi Ferrell in late-game situations and ranks last in turnover margin in the Big Ten.


Buckeyes' strength: C.J. Jackson and JaQuan Lyle rank first and third, respectively, in the Big Ten in assists-to-turnover ratio. They'll need to protect the ball against an opportunistic Virginia defense.


Buckeyes' weakness: If the game comes down to free throws, Ohio State doesn't stand much of a chance, shooting 59.5 percentage from the free throw line.


Cavaliers' strength: Everyone knows and accepts their role, that's how Darius Thompson can lead the team in scoring at just 10.0 points per game. And that's why their defense continues to shut down opponents.


Cavaliers' weakness: If they fall behind, they're not really built for scoring fast and making quick comebacks. Freshman Kyle Guy has shown a penchant for scoring in bunches, but for now he's still a reserve.