Look for the Boilmakers to win this one by 10

AT&T, the AT&Tlogo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T IntellectualProperty and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained hereinare the property of their respective owners.Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as partof an RSS feed at http:// For more information and detaileddisclaimer information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroomat http:// Inc.John Britton of AT&T Inc., 1-415-778-1350, . 4 Purdue Boilermakers will look to continue their unbeaten streak when they tip off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Tuesday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.Purdue leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 3-2. These two teams will meet for their first-ever Big Ten/ACC Challenge showdown.Wake Forest is coming off their only loss of the season in their last outing against the William & Mary Tribe 78-68 on Saturday night. Harris had 17 points and Al-Farouq Aminu added 11 points and a career-high 20 rebounds, but shot just 4 of 18 from the field for Wake Forest. Aminu is leading the Deacons in both scoring (18.8 ppg) and rebounding (11.2 rpg) this season He currently ranks second in the ACC in both categories Smith and Harris are each averaging 11.8 points per game. 4 Boilermakers routed Central Michigan 64-38 in their last appearance and remain unbeaten so far this season.

ETwaun Moore led Purdue with 15 points, Robbie Hummel added 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Chris Kramer was held scoreless for the first time since last December. Defensively the Boilermakers held the Chippewas to just five baskets in the first half and 13 for the entire contest. Purdue has induced its opponents into 98 turnovers, an average of 19.6 per contest.Purdue will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, where they are 3-6 all-time.The odds makers currently have the Boilermakers as11-point favorites.Look for the Boilmakers to win this one by 10.. The Big Ten-ACC Challenge has been an early season treat for college basketball fans since it's inception in 1999at least for ACC fans anyway.Despite several close calls over the past ten years, including the ACC's 6-to-5 record last season, the Big Ten has never won the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.Not once.In fact, Michigan State is the only Big Ten team to have a winning record in the challenge.Perhaps "challenge" was the wrong word for the event. Maybe something like the "ACC-Big Ten Beat-down" would have been more appropriate.With the Big Ten off to a good start after Penn State's three-point victory over Virginia, could this be the year the Big Ten finally steps up to the challenge (for lack of a better term)The ACC is certainly down after a mass exodus of talent to the NBA last seasonthere were seven first round draft picks from the conference in June.The Big Ten retained a ton of talent and experience, however, with stars like Robbie Hummel, Manny Harris, and Kalin Lucas deciding to return.As of last week, the Big Ten had six schools (Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Illinois) in the Top 25 compared to five for the ACC (Duke, North Carolina, Clemson, Maryland, and Georgia Tech). But Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois each lost two consecutive games last week, dropping out of the Top 25.That means both conferences will have three Top 25 teams apiece in the challengeMaryland dropped out of the rankings and Georgia Tech isn't competing in the event this yearmaking for a pretty even field on paper.We'll know whether or not the Big Ten is ready to reverse trends in just a few days, but there are several intriguing questions worth delving into before the results are in. Will Duke finally lose a Big Ten-ACC Challenge GameAs crazy as it is that the Big Ten has never won the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, it's equally mind-boggling that the Duke Blue Devils have never lost a game in the event, sitting at a perfect 10-0.Last year looked like a good window for the Big Ten to hand the Blue Devils a loss, as the then No 4 Blue Devils took on No. 10 Purdue at Mackey Arena.But the Blue Devils handled the Boilermakers despite a two-point output from Duke star Gerald Henderson.Will Wisconsin end the Blue Devils streak when Duke travels to Madison on Wednesday night The Blue Devils will certainly be the odds on favorite, as they are now the No.

5 team in the nation.Nonetheless, Bo Ryan's teams are always tough, especially at home. The Badgers' only loss on the season came against a solid Gonzaga team in the Maui Invitational (and come on, the severe climate difference between Hawaii and Wisconsin had to be a factor).Duke hasn't shot the ball well outside of Cameron so far this seasonthey only shot 35.7 from the field and 27.8 from beyond the arc at Madison Square Garden last weekso the unfriendly confines of the Kohl Center might give Duke a challenge.At the same time, the Badgers haven't exactly scorched the nets this seasonthey are currently shooting less than 30 percent from the three-point line. If the Blue Devils can force jump shots the way they did against Connecticut last Friday, the Badgers could be in for a rough night.There is also talk that Mason Plumlee, Duke's 6'10" star recruit who was a projected starter before breaking his wrist prior to the season, will be available for the Blue Devils on Wednesday, adding to an already huge Dukefront court.The Badgers may give Duke a run for its money, but the Blue Devils have too many offensive weapons to not pull out a win in Madison. Will Michigan State get some revenge against North CarolinaThe Spartans had a fantastic season last yearexcept for when they played North Carolina in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge and again in the NCAA title game.The Tar Heels had a 26-point average margin of victory in their two games against Michigan State last year and both of those wins were on the road.This season, the Spartans, now No. 9 in the polls after their loss to Florida, certainly have plenty of motivation to beat a North Carolina team still struggling to find its identity.But don't think the Tar Heels lack their own motivation.At the start of the season, North Carolina was being talked about as a legitimate Final Four contender once again despite losing practically everyone after last year.The Syracuse Orange quickly put an end to that talk after soundly beating the Tar Heels almost two weeks ago. There is no doubt the defending national champions are looking to prove that they are as good as their preseason hype.Neither team does a good job taking care of the ball as both teams average over 14 turnovers per game. Michigan State has a 1.5/1 assist-to-turnover ratio compared to North Carolina's 1.2/1 ratio, so don't expect a well-executed game.North Carolina played their best game of the season against Nevada on Sunday, despite the game being close. However, the Tar Heels have serious problems scoring the ball when Deon Thompson and Ed Davis aren't putting up big numbers.In the end, Kalin Lucas and Michigan State's back court is too strong and too experienced for the Tar Heels.This game might look just as lopsided as last year'smatch up, but with opposite results. Who's on upset alertThis could very well be a year where every high ranked team beats their opponent, but if I had to pick an upset it would be Florida State over Ohio State.The Buckeyes' Evan Turner might be the best player in either conference, but Florida State throws a front line at opponents that makes most teams' bigs look like fourteen year-old kids just hitting their growth spurts.The Seminoles don't play with consistency and they rarely win pretty, but they have a remarkable ability to take opponents completely out of their game with their size and athleticism.

Before you staple me to thebell tower and throw sharp things at my face, understand that I am perfectly willing to pass the buck a little bit herethis idea is not originally mine.Mark Bradley suggested in a piece today that Paul Johnson has his sights set on more than just winning in-state bragging rights, and he's got a dead-eye quote to back it up:Im going to get Georgia Tech to the point where our program is bigger than one game.That, ladies and gentlemen, is determination, and it's part of what makes Johnson so good at his job. And I agree with him.Last season, (Bradley points this out, too) Johnson needed to be Georgia It was therapy for a jadedfan base. Beating Georgia was the meat of that season, and anything before or after a win over UGA and bowl eligibility was gravy.But Johnson is trying to do more than win state bragging rights, and now it's about bigger things.Beating Georgia is important, of course, but it doesn't carry the same weight as the words "conference champion," and the trophy is bigger and prettier.Recruits don't care nearly as much about beating your in-state rival as they do the hardware you can flash from winning an ACC title. The words "BCS bowl game" trump almost anything else coaches could whisper into a kid's ear.And as this weekend proved, rarely is anything beyond pride on the line when Georgia and Georgia Tech meet. Little had changed.Beating Georgia last year was a welcomeand some would say necessarysignal that Johnson had the program headed in the right direction. And sure, repeating that feat in 2009 would have been a great highlight, but this season's critical moment comes this weekend, not last.It's the logical next step..