The Saviors of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge

We went into Wednesday with two huge games to look forward to in the ACC Big Ten Challenge. Those were Purdue @ Louisville and North Carolina @ Indiana. Well, Louisville beat Purdue 71-64 in a game that wasn't all that exciting and Indiana handled North Carolina in a game that UNC never led. Mixed in with the disappointing Michigan State-Duke matchup on Tuesday, the blockbuster games of the Challenge weren't that exciting. However, one game pretty much saved the entire event, and it was tucked away on ESPN2 while UNC and Indiana went at it.

The game I'm talking about is Ohio State @ Virginia. Both teams were undefeated going in, and Virginia was 6th in the country. Many people, including myself, thought that it would be a classic Virginia game--win by 10-15 points while holding an inferior opponent to under 50. 

Well that wasn't what happened at all. Sure, Virginia did win, but Ohio State gave them hell of a game. Ohio State was leading for a majority of the game and they almost staved off Virginia's late-game run, but the Wahoos ultimately won 63-61 after a last-second, fade-away 3pt attempt by Ohio State's JaQuan Lyle fell short. 

But no matter the result, thanks to the Buckeyes and Cavaliers for saving this nearly unwatchable ACC Big Ten Challenge.