Assembly Hall – Bloomington, IN
Tip-off: Wednesday, 9:15 p.m. ET
Line: N/A

In arguably the juiciest matchup of this year’s annual Big Ten-ACC Challenge, #3 North Carolina visits #13 Indiana on Wednesday night.

Owners of arguably the most impressive win and the most shocking loss this season (and November still isn’t over), the Indiana Hoosiers get another chance at a top five team when they host coach Roy Williams’ Tar Heels. The Hoosiers started their season with a memorable win over then-#3 Kansas, 103-99 (IU +6) in the Armed Forces Classic. They then trampled Liberty and UMass-Lowell before being stunned at in-state Fort Wayne from the Summit League (71-68, IU -13.5). On top of that, Indiana lost their best scorer, G James Blackmon Jr. (20.5 PPG) to a knee injury late in that contest. Blackmon Jr. is questionable to face North Carolina on Wednesday after sitting out the Hoosiers most recent win (85-52 on Sunday against Mississippi Valley State). At 7-0 the Tar Heels have avoided the signature early-season loss that has plagued Roy Williams in recent years (No. Iowa, Butler, Belmont). North Carolina will be looking to clip their second top 25 Big Ten foe in a row after defeating #17 Wisconsin (71-56, UNC -5) in the Maui Invitational Championship. North Carolina has won the Maui Invitational three times, 1999, 2004 and 2008, and has made it to the Final Four in all three of those seasons – winning national titles in ’04 and ’08. The Tar Heels made a mockery of the Maui field last week, blasting past division 2 host Chaminade before taking down Oklahoma State in the semifinals (107-75, UNC -9). At 5-2 ATS on the season, the Tar Heels have won every one of their games this season by 15 points or more. Doing their share to smash the OVER in most games with an average of 92.9 PPG (6th NCAA), North Carolina’s defense is as good as it’s been in recent memory, holding six out of seven opponents under 40% FG (which explains why their total has only been OVER in two games this season). Indiana is 1-2 ATS this season, their lone cover coming against Kansas. North Carolina and Indiana last met in the Sweet 16 in last season’s NCAA Tournament as the #1 seed in the region Tar Heels bounced the #5 seed Hoosiers, 101-86 (UNC -5). Historically, the Big Ten-ACC challenge has been dominated recently by the Big Ten, as the ACC hasn’t won outright since 2008. The Big Ten has won five out of the last seven years, with 2012 and 2013 ending in splits. As mentioned earlier, Indiana’s Blackmon Jr. sustained an injury (knee) in the loss to Fort Wayne. The junior guard is questionable to suit up on Wednesday.

North Carolina will have had six days of rest between their Maui title and Wednesday night in Bloomington. The Tar Heels were 11-2 (10-3 ATS) last season with 4+ days off. That said, they were only 6-5 (4-7 ATS) on the road last season. The North Carolina squad that upended Indiana in the NCAA tournament was paced by departed seniors Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson (41 points combined in the Round of 16 win). This season’s squad has had role players from that team turn into featured performers as upperclassmen in G Joel Berry II (17.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, 55% FG), F Justin Jackson (15.4 PPG, 47% FG) and F Kennedy Meeks (13.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG). North Carolina faithful have been waiting for the light to go on in the big senior, Meeks, and he may be finally fulfilling his promise as a highly-touted freshman four years ago coming to Chapel Hill. Fouls and conditioning have always been a factor for Meeks, but he had arguably his best collegiate performance with 15 points and 16 rebounds in 31 minutes against Wisconsin a week ago. Berry II is a steady two-way, lead guard who can defend (1.7 SPG) and score when needed. Berry, the Maui Invitational MVP, shot 16-for-22 FG (6-for-9 3PT) in wins over Oklahoma State and Wisconsin. Jackson, their most talented all-around performer, has found himself in double-figures for all seven Tar Heel games this season. F Isaiah Hicks (14.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG) is an x-factor for North Carolina as a physical specimen who can operate on the block or slam home an offensive-rebound putback. Hicks’ biggest improvement has been staying out of foul trouble as he’s committing less fouls per game this season in eight minutes more of playing time. Freshman C Tony Bradley (10.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG) has been impressive in limited playing time (17 minutes per game) and might be the next dominant big man for North Carolina in years to come.

For coach Tom Crean going into Wednesday night, the main story for his Hoosiers will be if Blackmon Jr. is healthy. That said, North Carolina is one of the best offensive teams in the country and Blackmon Jr. is one of the most notoriously maligned defensive players in the country. Many Hoosier faithful truly believe that chemistry is better without Blackmon Jr. on the floor, and for one game against lowly Mississippi Valley State (52 points allowed, 31.3 FG%) the stats spoke for themselves. Indiana has out-rebounded every one of their opponents (including a 50-39 edge over North Carolina) and their improvement here over previous seasons is a big reason for their prominence in the national rankings. North Carolina is annually one of the best on the glass, and this season has been no different, as the Tar Heels will provide an interior test not yet seen by the Hoosiers. F Thomas Bryant (13.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG) will most likely be a very busy man in this game, as North Carolina would be wise to go at him on defense and surround him when he has the ball on the other end of the floor. Bryant garnered a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double against Kansas, but fouled out in only 28 minutes of action. Bryant’s outside shot is also greatly improved (already four made threes this season; five made in all of 2015-16). Bryant is not the only outstanding sophomore on the Hoosiers as F O.G. Anunoby (11.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1 BPG) does a little bit of everything for coach Crean. One need look no further to Anunoby’s importance than the loss at Fort Wayne, where the 6’8” forward only played 13 scoreless minutes due to illness. As a guy who NBA scouts love as a “3-and-D” type player who can hit from outside on one end and get a key block or steal on the other, his effectiveness helping on North Carolina’s big men and locking up Justin Jackson may determine Indiana’s fate. G Robert Johnson (13.8 PPG, 42% 3PT) provides a great supplemental offensive option to stretch the defense.