Note: Best of the B1G: Top Non-Conference November Games published earlier this week.

After the holiday tournaments come to a close at the end of November, the December non-conference slate in the Big Ten is clearly and unequivocally highlighted by the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. These should be the two deepest basketball conferences in the land and the match-ups on tap should not disappoint. There are some other games after this event that are also worth checking out as well, several of which could have NCAA Tournament ramifications. Here are the best December games involving Big Ten teams.

December 1

Mark Turgeon and Maryland get a early chance to make a national statement. (USA TODAY Sports)

• Maryland-North Carolina: Two former ACC foes renew their longtime rivalry, and do so in a season where they are both expected to be title contenders. This game could not only be the best game in the B1G non-conference slate, but also potentially one of the best in all of college basketball.
• Michigan-NC State: Two teams that barely missed a preseason ranking in the coaches poll, and two teams that will get up and down the floor. This game could loom large in March if either team is on the bubble at that time.
• Ohio State-Virginia: There’s a very good chance that the Buckeyes will be 5-0 coming into this game, offering the first chance for the nation to see how Thad Matta’s youngsters can handle one of the best defenses around.

December 2

• Indiana-Duke: Indiana will be tested at the Maui Invitational in November but this game will give the Hoosiers another opportunity to enhance their perception in March. Tom Crean’s non-conference scheduling has been rightfully criticized in the past, but his team was gifted a good one here and will need to take advantage of it.
• Michigan State-Louisville: Louisville lost to Sparty in the Elite Eight and will be looking for payback with a new cast of characters. Will the Cards be playing with extra motivation despite their ongoing distractions, or will they struggle to focus given the outside noise?
• Iowa-Florida State: Much like the Michigan-NC State contest, this game involves two squads that are close-but-not-quite in the Top 25 is concerned. Iowa’s schedule is brutal so getting a win at home here is essential for its resume.

December 8

• Michigan-SMU: The Mustangs won by 11 points in Ann Arbor last season, but these are two veteran-laden lineups that should be fairly equal.
• Maryland-Connecticut: Exactly one week after their game against the Tar Heels, the Terps will head to Madison Square Garden to play a UConn team that hopes to be the best team in the AAC. Can Diamond Stone score in the post against Amida Brimah and his 3.5 blocks per game?

Spike Albrecht and Michigan get another crack at SMU in December after losing to the Mustangs last season(Getty).

December 10

• Iowa-Iowa State: Things won’t get any easier for Fran McCaffery as Iowa will take on its intrastate rival in Ames. The Cyclones will be breaking in new head coach Steve Prohm but they still have top-10 talent on board and have won the last two match-ups.

December 12

• Ohio State-Connecticut: Youth is going to be a common Ohio State theme this season, and this game will be the Buckeyes’ first true road test. This will also represent the third time a Big Ten team will play the Huskies.
  
• Wisconsin-Marquette: Is Marquette markedly better with Henry Ellenson this season, and is Wisconsin really a Top 25 team? These questions can be answered here in what should be a much more evenly-matched game between intrastate rivals.

December 19

• Ohio State-Kentucky: Kentucky destroyed UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic last year and will be looking to do the same thing to the Buckeyes this time around. Ohio State will get another quality litmus test to see exactly where it stands heading into Big Ten play.
• Purdue-Butler and Indiana-Notre Dame: This season’s edition of the Crossroads Classic involves four preseason Top 25 squads. This will makes an event that is always a huge deal in the Hoosier State one of the better December events nationally as well. Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson squaring off against Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell will be one of the best point guard clashes of the early season.

Yogi Ferrell will get tested in Indy when he has to go up against Demetrius Jackson from Notre Dame. (Darron Cummings, AP)

December 22

• Purdue-Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt beat Purdue by 10 last season as Riley LaChance lit the Boilers up for 26 points. That game served as a season turning point for Purdue, as they shook off an 8-5 non-conference start to finish 12-6 in the league. Which team strengthens its resume in West Lafayette this season?

December 23

• Penn State-SMU (a potential matchup in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic): The Nittany Lions should have another nice record heading into the holidays if these teams meet in Vegas. A win here would more than likely be their best win of the early season as they head into the conference slate.

Brendan Brody (307 Posts)

Brendan Brody is in his fourth season covering the Big Ten for RTC. Email him at brendan.brody@gmail.com, or follow him on twitter @berndon4.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2015 at 10:01 am by Brendan Brody and is filed under big ten, microsites. Tagged: big ten acc challenge, CBS Sports Classic, Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic, crossroads classic, diamond stone, fran mccaffery, indiana, iowa, maryland, michigan, michigan state, ohio state, purdue, wisconsin, yogi ferrell. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.