I will say after eight years of the ACC owning the Big Ten in basketball the question as to why we still do this every year ought to be asked by people in power. Nonetheless the Challenge rolls on and it began with much the same result as the previous eight.
Wake Forest 56 Iowa 47
If there is anything we can say with fair certainty it is that playing a game at Iowa usually results in a sloppy and low scoring affair. Neither team broke 40% from the field and combined for 36 turnovers and 3-30 from beyond the arc. Sounds like classic Hawkeye basketball to me. Despite all this ugliness Wake found a way to win and give the ACC the early lead.
ACC leads 1-0
Tuesday Schedule
Georgia Tech at #15 Indiana(Prediction: Indiana)
Northwestern at Virginia(Prediction: Virginia)
Minnesota at Florida State(Prediction: FSU)
#20 Wisconsin at #7 Duke(Prediction: Duke)
Purdue at #18 Clemson(Prediction: Clemson)
Tar Heel Fan 
THF,
Can you explain something to me? Why does it seem every year that Duke ALWAYS plays at home during the Challenge and always plays one of the mid-tier teams in the conference and never one of the top?
It`s called dookie bias.
I think Duke has played fairly good teams in the Challenge. Based on the scores the games have been competitive. One issue is during the first four years of the challenge they played twice in Greensboro and twice in Chicago. In the past four years the play at Michigan State and at Indiana alternating back home on the other two years. This year they have Wisconsin but somehow ended up at home after being home last season which is not unusual since UNC did the same in 05-06 and 06-07.
Counting this season UNC has played four home, four true road games and one neutral court in Greensboro. Duke has played four neutrals(2 Chicago, 2 Gsbo), 2 road and 3 home. in the nine seasons of the Challenge.
THF
I may be remembering this wrong, but I think that Duke played MSU at Ford field in Detroit. I think the state of Michigan was trying to get a bunch of attendance records for college football and basketball games. The IU game last year is the only time I can remember Duke playing in an opponent’s true home gym.
The game last season was at Cameron. I think they played Indiana in Bloomington the previous season. The Duke media guide lists the MSU game as an away game and did not indicate it was an off campus game.
My bad. Michigan State played Kentucky at Ford field and played Duke at home in the same season.
Also Wisconsin is one of the best teams in the Big 10 this year…or at least many think they will be.
http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=34
Dook sucks but they’ve been good in this competiton, playing good teams in difficult places.