2008 Big Ten/ACC Challenge: Duke @ Purdue

[tbyers11]

According to this article (http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/uw/281595), Duke plays at Purdue in next year's edition of the challenge. The article, which is mainly about the lack of home games for Wisconsin in the challenge (they play at Virginia Tech next year), states that the entire schedule will be out soon.

The bit about Duke playing at Purdue is buried in the first paragraph after the Analyzing the data sub-heading.

Road game against one of the top Big Ten team seems like a good fit.

[Duvall]

Meh. Playing at Purdue should be a good early test, not to mention a True Road Game, but I'd rather finish the home-and-home with Wisconsin.

[BlueintheFace]

yah, a win @wisconsin would be far more impressive and help the team's confidence a bit more too, seeing as that pretty much nobody wins there... I'm okay with this matchup though. The Baby Boilers are all grown up now and should be a top 10 team...

[Wander]

yah, a win @wisconsin would be far more impressive

I highly doubt that.

[BD80]

I envision Coach K loading up the schedule a bit more this year, now that we finally have an "experienced" team with more upperclassmen than underclassmen. We lost one senior, but bring back a junior and have eight of our top nine returning with an extra year of experience.

Wouldn't surprise me to see more true road games and more top 20 opponents.

[juise]

I highly doubt that.

I was thinking the same thing. With Butch and Flowers graduating, and the idea that Purdue could be top 10, how much better could Wisconsin be? Top 3?

[Classof06]

As far as I'm concerned, playing @ Purdue is a MUCH better game than going up to Madison to play the Badgers. Wisconsin graduated some great college players in Alando Tucker and Kammaron Taylor before last season and now they lose Butch and Flowers. I'm glad ESPN realized this would not be that great of a game and scheduled accordingly. Purdue is the odds-on favorite to win the Big 10 next year, even after losing Scott Martin.

I think this is a great early test for us and even though we didn't actively schedule this game, these are the kinds of games I'd like to see on Duke's schedule more often. Can't wait for this game.

[NYC Duke Fan]

Does anyone know the full ACC-Big Ten Schedule for next year ?

[Onlyduke]

I know it's very, very early, but Sports Illustrated's 2008-09 Top 10 has Purdue at #4 and Duke at #9.

[dkbaseball]

As far as I'm concerned, playing @ Purdue is a MUCH better game than going up to Madison to play the Badgers. Wisconsin graduated some great college players in Alando Tucker and Kammaron Taylor before last season and now they lose Butch and Flowers. I'm glad ESPN realized this would not be that great of a game and scheduled accordingly. Purdue is the odds-on favorite to win the Big 10 next year, even after losing Scott Martin.

I think this is a great early test for us and even though we didn't actively schedule this game, these are the kinds of games I'd like to see on Duke's schedule more often. Can't wait for this game.

I expect Wisconsin to be at least as good next year, as they bring back very good and very experienced forward and guard tandems, and have promising sophomore big men to move into the middle. Would have liked to see them get another crack at Duke, in Kohl this time, and see how Bo Ryan adjusts his defense, if at all.

But Purdue could be as good or better. They are extremely physical, and really get in your grill with perimeter defense. There is some vulnerability in their interior defense if you can beat the pressure. Will be very interesting to see whether Duke can take advantage.

I expect Duke, Purdue and Wisconsin to end the season in the top ten.

[geraldsneighbor]

I can't wait to get on the road to take on a legit Big Ten team. Matt Painter is a good coach and it will be a good game. I guess that means we are at Georgetown, at Purdue, and at St. John's. Also, I wouldn't doubt a possibility of taking Paulus home sometime. Maybe a Syracuse if they decide to man up.

[The1Bluedevil]

I believe beating Purdue would be more impressive. Purdue returns everyone and also swept the Badgers last year.

[geraldsneighbor]

tuesday december 1st has been the date assigned to duke-purdue.

[oso diablo]

very impressed with the job Matt Painter is doing at Purdue. Watched them play my alma mater in the tourney. Excellent defensive team. Very disciplined.

[tbyers11]

ESPN has an article (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3348226) up now with all of the matchups

Big Ten home games
Duke @ Purdue
UNC @ Mich St (Ford Field)
Clemson @ Illinois
UVa @ Minnesota
FSU @ Northwestern

ACC home games
Wisconsin @ VTech
Ohio St @ Miami
Iowa @ BC
Penn St @ GTech
Indiana @ Wake
Michigan @ Maryland

[Duvall]

ESPN has an article (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3348226) up now with all of the matchups

Big Ten home games
Duke @ Purdue
UNC @ Mich St (Ford Field)
Clemson @ Illinois
UVa @ Minnesota
FSU @ Northwestern

ACC home games
Wisconsin @ VTech
Ohio St @ Miami
Iowa @ BC
Penn St @ GTech
Indiana @ Wake
Michigan @ Maryland

Big Ten only gets five home games this year, with one of them being Northwestern, and two of the others featuring Duke and UNC? This may be the ACC's easiest win yet.

[BlueintheFace]

I'm glad ESPN realized this would not be that great of a game and scheduled accordingly.

I know it wasn't much of a game last fall, but when was the last time Bo Ryan had a bad team? Since he took over in 2001 the Badgers have been in the tournament every year and claimed the Big10 regular season or tournament title 4 times. However the big reason that I think a game at the Kohl Center might be a real challenge is that under Ryan in the last seven years the badgers have lost only 7 games at home... and how many all-americans have they had.. not all that many.

All of that being said, Purdue should be a very good game and beneficial one for the team. I like the matchup...

[Classof06]

They lose Brian Butch, Michael Flowers and John Stiemsma. Stiemsma was a role player but a solid one at that; Butch and Flowers are 2 pretty big losses for this team. When nobody on your team averages more than 12.5ppg and you lose the player that averages 12.4 and another that averages 9.6, your team will be affected. The Badgers still bring back Landry, Hughes and Krabbenhoft but they're losing 3 of their top 7 contributors from this past season. I simply don't think they'll be as good as they were this year and they won't be as good as Purdue.

And if you were wondering, Purdue swept Wisconsin this past season. Most expect Purdue to be a stronger team next year and I personally expect Wisconsin to be a slightly weaker team next year.

Even in a weak Big 10, I don't think Wisconsin ends up as a 3 seed like they did this year. If Duke is looking to play the best Big 10 team they can, then us drawing Purdue was a good thing; better than playing Wisconsin again, IMO.

[dkbaseball]

They lose Brian Butch, Michael Flowers and John Stiemsma. Stiemsma was a role player but a solid one at that; Butch and Flowers are 2 pretty big losses for this team. When nobody on your team averages more than 12.5ppg and you lose the player that averages 12.4 and another that averages 9.6, your team will be affected. The Badgers still bring back Landry, Hughes and Krabbenhoft but they're losing 3 of their top 7 contributors from this past season. I simply don't think they'll be as good as they were this year and they won't be as good as Purdue.

And if you were wondering, Purdue swept Wisconsin this past season. Most expect Purdue to be a stronger team next year and I personally expect Wisconsin to be a slightly weaker team next year.

Even in a weak Big 10, I don't think Wisconsin ends up as a 3 seed like they did this year. If Duke is looking to play the best Big 10 team they can, then us drawing Purdue was a good thing; better than playing Wisconsin again, IMO.


No quarrels about how good Purdue might be. As an alum of Duke, Wisconsin and Indiana, I fear them mightily. But I do expect Wisconsin to be at least as good as this year. Every year people talk about what they've lost -- coming into this season they weren't even in the top 40 because the loss of Tucker and Taylor was supposed to be insurmountable -- but I had thought by the end of the season the conventional wisdom had finally caught up to the fact that Bo Ryan runs the ultimate system, and just plugs in new parts every year selected for their suitability to the system.

Flowers had a great motor that will be hard to replace. Butch was a terrific rebounder and his 3-point shot could be a real equalizer. (Greg) Steimsma could block shots and take up space. But look at what they bring back. Landry and Krabbenhoft will be the most experienced forward tandem in the country with lots of different capabilities between them, some of which they haven't really unwrapped yet. In the backcourt, Flowers is replaced by Jason Bohannon -- the Big Ten sixth man of the year and a better scorer than Flowers, if not quite as athletic. Point guard Trevon Hughes has tremendous talent and played most of this season with a high ankle sprain. In the middle they bring in Keaton Nankivil, a strong power player who didn't play much this past season because Butch and Steimsma were in the way, but supposedly looked great in practice and is ready to go. Another soph, 6-10 Jon Leuer, is quicker than Butch and potentially has at least as good a shooting touch. He dropped in 27 in the first conference game against Michigan, but then his shot went south. The five-man freshman class coming in is supposed to be very competitive.

I don't see them falling off any.

[Highlander]

Big Ten only gets five home games this year, with one of them being Northwestern, and two of the others featuring Duke and UNC? This may be the ACC's easiest win yet.

Funny, I thought just the opposite. The top 3 teams in the ACC all play on the road, and our home games include the weakest teams from last year.

[phaedrus]

No quarrels about how good Purdue might be. As an alum of Duke, Wisconsin and Indiana, I fear them mightily. But I do expect Wisconsin to be at least as good as this year. Every year people talk about what they've lost -- coming into this season they weren't even in the top 40 because the loss of Tucker and Taylor was supposed to be insurmountable -- but I had thought by the end of the season the conventional wisdom had finally caught up to the fact that Bo Ryan runs the ultimate system, and just plugs in new parts every year selected for their suitability to the system.

Flowers had a great motor that will be hard to replace. Butch was a terrific rebounder and his 3-point shot could be a real equalizer. (Greg) Steimsma could block shots and take up space. But look at what they bring back. Landry and Krabbenhoft will be the most experienced forward tandem in the country with lots of different capabilities between them, some of which they haven't really unwrapped yet. In the backcourt, Flowers is replaced by Jason Bohannon -- the Big Ten sixth man of the year and a better scorer than Flowers, if not quite as athletic. Point guard Trevon Hughes has tremendous talent and played most of this season with a high ankle sprain. In the middle they bring in Keaton Nankivil, a strong power player who didn't play much this past season because Butch and Steimsma were in the way, but supposedly looked great in practice and is ready to go. Another soph, 6-10 Jon Leuer, is quicker than Butch and potentially has at least as good a shooting touch. He dropped in 27 in the first conference game against Michigan, but then his shot went south. The five-man freshman class coming in is supposed to be very competitive.

I don't see them falling off any.

I had this exact argument with you at the beginning of last season, and now that the dust is cleared, let's just say I won't ever doubt Bo Ryan's coaching qualifications. If Leuer and Hughes continue to show improvement, I don't expect much drop-off with UW next year. Just sad I won't get to wear my JJ jersey to the Kohl Center in the fall (although I may be relocated to Durham by that time anyway).

[dkbaseball]

I had this exact argument with you at the beginning of last season, and now that the dust is cleared, let's just say I won't ever doubt Bo Ryan's coaching qualifications. If Leuer and Hughes continue to show improvement, I don't expect much drop-off with UW next year. Just sad I won't get to wear my JJ jersey to the Kohl Center in the fall (although I may be relocated to Durham by that time anyway).

Thanks, Phaedrus. You've given me an opening to pat myself on the back at a moment when my prognosticative powers have been called into question.

In that exchange last November I said:

Wisconsin is ridiculously underrated, and when they found their confidence they would be a solid top ten unit. Rankings going into the NCAA tournament -- 5th and 6th.

That they would be the best defensive team Duke faced all year. Led the nation in scoring defense.

The day after Duke clobbered them, I said they would probably be Big Ten champs. Won the regular season and BTT.

You could look it up.

It's hard to imagine them being as good defensively next year without Flowers, but I think they'll be better offensively. I'm eager to see this freshman guard, Jordan Taylor. Looks like he could step right into the rotation.

[Olympic Fan]

While I don't expect Wisconsin to be bad or even mediocre next season -- Ryan is an excellent coach and he does have a nice core back -- but I feel safe in predicting that Purdue will be picked higher in the preseason polls and in the Big Ten.

Matt Painter has done a great job -- Purdue was last in the Big Ten two years ago, made the NCAA in 2007 (losing to eventual champ Florida in the second round) and challenged for the Big Ten title last season, finishing No. 15 in the final AP poll.

That was with a freshman dominated team -- 6-8 Robbie Hummell was one of the nation's most effective freshmen ... 6-3 E'twaun Moore has a ton of potential. They have two big-time recruits, especially speedy point guard Lewis Jackson. The biggest concern is the loss of Martin, their best inside scorer (although he averaged just 8.8 points a game). The hope is that slender 6-10 JaJaun Johnson steps it up.

Interesting matchup with Duke -- two teams that are very strong on the perimeter and very good defensively, but with question marks in the post position. The one big difference is that Purdue will try and play at a much slower tempo than Duke.

I think Purdue and Michigan State will be the preseason favorites in the league. It's easy to overlook the Spartans because they lose Nietzel, but they have a bunch of solid players coming back, plus the Big Ten's top recruiting class (headed by Delvon Roe and Korie Lucious). The combination of Walton at guard with sophs Kahlin Lucas and Chris Allen at guard; plus a frontcourt loaded with Suton and Gray, plus Roe should make them pretty strong.

Ohio State could also be a contender, but must replace guard James Butler and center Othello Hunter -- two keys to their NIT title run. They also add some big-time recruits -- big man BJ Mullens and wing guard William Buford, but their recruiting class took a hit when Luke Babbitt reneged on his commitment and signed at Nevada.

I suspect Indiana is the Big Ten team that will drop off the face of the earth, not only losing White and Gordon and their coach, but also almost everybody else that contributed last season.

[phaedrus]

In my defense, our argument was largely about the Duke-Wisconsin game, and I was right about that one. So I think we both win.

[BlueintheFace]

No quarrels about how good Purdue might be. As an alum of Duke, Wisconsin and Indiana, I fear them mightily. But I do expect Wisconsin to be at least as good as this year. Every year people talk about what they've lost -- coming into this season they weren't even in the top 40 because the loss of Tucker and Taylor was supposed to be insurmountable -- but I had thought by the end of the season the conventional wisdom had finally caught up to the fact that Bo Ryan runs the ultimate system, and just plugs in new parts every year selected for their suitability to the system.

Flowers had a great motor that will be hard to replace. Butch was a terrific rebounder and his 3-point shot could be a real equalizer. (Greg) Steimsma could block shots and take up space. But look at what they bring back. Landry and Krabbenhoft will be the most experienced forward tandem in the country with lots of different capabilities between them, some of which they haven't really unwrapped yet. In the backcourt, Flowers is replaced by Jason Bohannon -- the Big Ten sixth man of the year and a better scorer than Flowers, if not quite as athletic. Point guard Trevon Hughes has tremendous talent and played most of this season with a high ankle sprain. In the middle they bring in Keaton Nankivil, a strong power player who didn't play much this past season because Butch and Steimsma were in the way, but supposedly looked great in practice and is ready to go. Another soph, 6-10 Jon Leuer, is quicker than Butch and potentially has at least as good a shooting touch. He dropped in 27 in the first conference game against Michigan, but then his shot went south. The five-man freshman class coming in is supposed to be very competitive.

I don't see them falling off any.

second that-- hence the consistency... especially at home. THIS is why I think a game @ wisconsin is the only better early season matchup. Shame we couldn't finish the series.

[dkbaseball]

In my defense, our argument was largely about the Duke-Wisconsin game, and I was right about that one. So I think we both win.

Oh, I'm not claiming any sort of victory over you. You correctly predicted a Duke blowout. I didn't make any prediction about the game -- though I certainly thought it would be closer -- I was just arguing that this Wisconsin team was definitely going to be up to Ryan standards, and maybe his best.