Three takeaways from day two of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge
The ACC and Big Ten are tied 4-4 after day two of their three-day challenge. I already wrote about Marcus Paige leading North Carolina to a win over second-ranked Maryland in the marquee game of this year’s event. Here are three other takeaways from Tuesday’s action:
1. Ohio State looked better yet came away with nothing to show for it
Ohio State’s reaction to its 64-58 home loss to Virginia was a reminder of how different this year’s team is to its predecessors. Instead of bemoaning a missed opportunity against a top 10 opponent playing without its starting point guard, the Buckeyes came away encouraged by the progress they demonstrated keeping the score close.
Daniel Giddens blocked four shots and altered others around the rim. Marc Loving, Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate all scored in double figures. And Ohio State did not turn the ball over nearly as frequently as it had previously, albeit against a Virginia defense that seldom pressures the ball or denies passing lanes and prefers to keep one foot in the paint at all times in order to force contested jump shots.
The problem for the Buckeyes is that moral victories don’t count in the standings. Even with Tuesday’s step forward, they’re still 2-4 with losses to Memphis, Texas Arlington and Louisiana Tech. There’s ample time to dig out of that early hole, but it will not be easy given the youth on the Ohio State roster and the quality of the Big Ten this season.
2. Duncan Robinson is making the leap from Division III to Michigan look easy
In his freshman season at Division III Williams College, Robinson averaged 17.1 points per game, earned national freshman of the year honors and led his team to an appearance in the national title game. It was such a dominant campaign that the sweet-shooting small forward began to wonder if he owed it to himself to see if he could thrive at college basketball’s highest level as well.
Robinson explored his options in spring 2014, eventually choosing Michigan over Davidson. He has made the Wolverines look wise for gambling on him so far this season, averaging 10.4 points and shooting 57.5 percent from the field.
Never has Robinson been better than he was Tuesday night in Michigan’s 66-59 victory at NC State. He had 17 points and sank 5 of 7 threes, none bigger than a step-back 3-pointer from the corner that he probably wouldn’t have even attempted as recently as a couple weeks ago.
3. This is one of Matt Painter’s best Purdue teams — if not the best
The player who sank the biggest shots in Purdue’s 72-59 win at Pittsburgh was a candidate to redshirt as recently as a few weeks ago. Freshman Ryan Cline has not seen much playing time because the Boilermakers are so deep at guard, but he came off the bench Tuesday with Rapheal Davis sidelined and blew open a close game with a trio of second-half 3-pointers.
That Purdue has such a weapon buried on its bench is a sign of just how deep the Boilermakers are. They have three dominant big men, a versatile forward in Vince Edwards and so many talented shooters that Cline has only been able to carve out about 12 minutes per game off the bench. Cline’s 12 points on Tuesday were nearly triple his season average.
Purdue entered Tuesday’s game with an unbeaten record that included one-sided victories over Florida and Old Dominion, but Pittsburgh represented the Boilermakers first true road test. The Panthers were also undefeated and boasted two of the ACC’s better forwards in Jamel Artis and Michael Young, but Artis struggled against Purdue and Pittsburgh shot just 35 percent as a team.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
