Indiana vs. Duke College Basketball Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction

TV Schedule: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Stadium: Cameron Indoor Stadium

This Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup certainly had more hype entering the 2015-16 college basketball season. That was because both the Indiana Hoosiers and Duke Blue Devils were expected to compete for a national title, and they were both also ranked in the top 25.

Since the start of the season, Indiana has done some disappointing and Duke has dropped a game itself.

The Hoosiers have losses against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and UNLV Rebels, while the Blue Devils went down to the Kentucky Wildcats.

It’s pretty simple for Indiana: If it doesn’t figure out a way to play better defense, it is going to be an average team in the very talented Big Ten. Sure, that still might be enough to punch the Hoosiers’ ticket to the dance, but simply punching a ticket to the dance isn’t quite meeting expectations, and could lead to the firing of head coach Tom Crean.

As for Duke, it is young … and it went down to arguably the best team in college hoops. Plus, the Blue Devils have rebounded since their loss.

As expected, the star power in this battle is incredible. For Indiana, you have guys like James Blackmon Jr. and Yogi Ferrell, who can score at will (and are also not alone). For Duke, the talent is never-ending, but Grayson Allen has emerged in a major way. He is putting up 22.6 points per game, after all.

This one could be fun for the simple fact that neither team has been stingy on the defensive side of the ball. Not to mention, both teams can score at will. There is also that simple fact that these programs are two of the biggest names in the sport.

While the smart pick would be to go with the Blue Devils at home, I am predicting Ferrell & Co. to show us all why they received so much hype entering 2015-16. They could certainly use the win to get back on the map.

PREDICTION: Hoosiers 80, Blue Devils 77

Trevor Lowry is a Content Associate at www.RantSports.com. If you’re a tweeter feel free to follow him @TheTrevorLowry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.