Pack Gets Tough Draw For Big Ten/ACC Challenge

As you've heard by now, NC State will be playing at Michigan State in the challenge. Here are the matchups, with 2007 Pomeroy rank in parentheses:

Monday, Nov. 26
7:00 p.m. ESPN2 Wake Forest (87) at Iowa (64)

Tuesday, Nov. 27
7:00 p.m. ESPN Georgia Tech (17) at Indiana (16)
7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Minnesota (140) at Florida State (34)
8:00 p.m. ESPNU Northwestern (112) at Virginia (45)
9:00 p.m. ESPN Wisconsin (8) at Duke (11)
9:30 p.m. ESPN2 Purdue (23) at Clemson (30)

Wednesday, Nov. 28
7:00 p.m. ESPN N.C. State (63) at Michigan State (15)
7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Illinois (33) at Maryland (10)
8:00 p.m. ESPNU Boston College (44) at Michigan (54)
9:00 p.m. ESPN North Carolina (1) at Ohio State (4)
9:30 p.m. ESPN2 Virginia Tech (39) at Penn State (119)


Michigan State was the fourth-best team in the Big Ten last season, and everyone will be back. The team's profile is here. Their weakness offensively in 2007 was turnovers: in Big Ten play, and I know this is difficult to imagine, the Spartans turned the ball over as often as a team of five Gavin Grants would. Point guard Travis Walton finished the season with a turnover rate over 30%. Also problematic were Goran Suton, a large pillar-y turnover of a man, who sported a reprehensible 26% TO rate; and forward Raymar Morgan, who turned the ball over almost 23% of the time.