This is no more of a "Challenge" than Redskins/Cowboys. Or Aggies/Eagles. Or me beating my wife in Wii Tennis.
Is all I'm sayin'.
If the ACC wanted some real comp, rather than an perennial pushover, they'd stop picking on the schools for the deaf and blind, and revive their classic 80's rivalry (throwback jerseys and all) with The Big East. Cause as much as I love ACC basketball (which is practically a religion of its own in NC), reality is, once you get beyond Duke and UNC, the conference is usually top-heavy, and littered with a bunch of suspect teams like Maryland, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech. As much as the ACC poaching Miami, FSU[1], BC, and VT helped its rep as a football conference (which is to say, not much at all), the effect on basketball has been marginal at best, and negative at worst since there are so many mediocre squads.
The Big East? Uhhh, not so much. Sure, there's teams like Rutgers and South Florida which should prolly be playing in the MEAC, but nobody wants to mess with UConn, Pitt, G'Town[2], The Cuse', Louisville, Nova, Marquette, or heck, even West Virginia. Too much firepower. Too many pro prospects. Too many NBA-sized arenas. Just too much, period.
That said, I'll enjoy watching the young and clueless Heels[3] duke it out (and maybe even lose) to the seasoned Spartans tonight. But if the suits in Greensboro know what's really good, they'll end this charade sooner rather than later.
Cause 11-0 is not a "Challenge". It's a mismatch.
Question: Who would win a head to head ACC/Big East Challenge?!?
[1] Retire in Peace, Bobby Bowden. It was time.
[2] One cool thing about living in DC: both Big East (Hoyas) and ACC (Terps) squads who play in big buildings with lots of affordable tickets.
[3] Free John Henson. This guy was the #1 overall high school prospect coming in, and Roy is playing him 8 mins a game? This dude is a 6-11 pogo stick, all arms and legs, a rich man's Anthony Randolph, and they're playing him on the wing! On the wing? A guy like this shouldn't venture outside the paint. What a waste! He shoulda gone to NC State. I hate saying that, but at least Sidney and Co. would be using him the right way. Get your mind right, Roy! I know you like playing Seniors, but this is ridiculous.
