ESPN released the pairings for the 2012 ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Monday afternoon. The Big Ten has won the past three events, including a resounding 8-4 victory last season, this after losing each of the first 10 years. The 12-game Challenge will be played Nov. 27-28 this season. Check out all the matchups, get your Challenge history and see BTN.com Brent Yarina’s predictions in this post.

Iowa basketball legend Don Nelson made a name of for himself in the NBA but he was back at school on Saturday to accept his college degree at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. We touched on this story earlier this week but it’s worth revisiting. Nelson left Iowa in early summer 1962 to pursue his dreams as a professional basketball player but he left 10 credit hours short of a degree in physical education.

Don Nelson has accomplished plenty as either a basketball player or basketball coach at the high school, college and professional level, but he’s about to do something he’s never done before. He’s about to earn his college degree from Iowa. The 71-year-old basketball legend will go through commencement at Iowa next weekend and fulfill his late mother’s wish to get his college degree. The Quad City Times has the entire tale right here, and it’s a good one.

Every year, players who weren’t big-time contributors one season become just that the very next. For example, there was Meyers Leonard last year and Darius Morris two seasons ago. Get BTN.com Brent Yarina’s early top five 2012-13 breakout candidates in this post.

The deadline for college basketball players to decide whether they’re coming back to school or entering the 2012 NBA Draft was Tuesday. Here’s what we know: Meyers Leonard and Jared Sullinger are gone, while Trey Burke, Deshaun Thomas and Christian Watford are back after testing the NBA waters. A lot of things will change before the season tips in November, but BTN.com’s Brent Yarina offers some super-early 2012-13 predictions. See all of them in this post.

Illinois’ Meyers Leonard declared for the NBA draft Monday (story), and on Wednesday, it was Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger’s turn (story). With Leonard and Sullinger, both sophomores, leaving early and the deadlines to declare for the draft approaching (April 10, NCAA; April 29, NBA), BTN.com’s Brent Yarina considers some of the previous Big Ten sophomores – plus freshmen – who have left early since the new millennium. How did the decisions work out? Find out in this post.