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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been a team that competes in the Big East basically on a yearly basis. Well, they will be part of the ACC in the 2013-14 college basketball season, which means they will also be part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Not to mention, they have a very intriguing matchup for that challenge.
You would think that Notre Dame would play a team such as Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State or Wisconsin. However, the Fighting Irish will actually take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.
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Before you start to think that Notre Dame got kicked out of a marquee matchup in the challenge, just hold your breath and wait a couple of seconds… or a little longer if you are that literal.
Iowa did not make the NCAA tournament last season, but it did make the championship game for the NIT. The Hawkeyes will basically have the same exact team as last season and believe it or not, they will compete for a Big Ten title. That is not something you say everyday, but it is true with this Iowa team.
Notre Dame is losing a great player in Jack Cooley, but leading scorer Jerian Grant will be back, along with an underrated but good recruiting class. Not to mention, a bunch of other players will be returning to the team as well.
Both of these teams are likely predicted to finish in the top five of their respected conferences. So although Iowa may not seem like an intriguing matchup at first, the team’s talent cannot be denied and this could actually be one of the best games in the challenge.
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