Ken Davis

It’s a shame freshman center Greg Oden wasn't healthy enough to play for Ohio State against North Carolina. In cinematic terms, it was kind of like hearing a new James Bond film has been released — but knowing Sean Connery hasn’t returned to his role as 007.

Too bad ESPN couldn’t have changed the date of the game to mid-January, when Oden is almost certain to be back in action after offseason surgery on his right wrist. Still, without Oden, the Buckeyes put up a good fight in a 98-89 loss.

Ohio State vs. North Carolina was billed as the premier attraction during Challenge week. Even though there was the potential for a lopsided outcome, the other Ohio State freshmen made a major statement. The Dean Dome crowd did not intimidate the young Buckeyes and the two teams put on a memorable show.

“I’d feel better if Greg was healthy and we were going to North Carolina,” Matta told The Columbus Dispatch before the game.

We would have felt better too; to view Oden’s impact on this game would have been fun. Oden has been heralded as the best big man to emerge from the high school level in decades. The best we can hope for is that these two marvelous teams face each other again in the NCAA Tournament – with Oden on the floor, not on the bench.

Even without the leading man, the Tar Heels and Buckeyes bailed out the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, which has become stale and predictable. Perhaps it is time to tweak the format. Other conferences are considering joint ventures with a more streamlined approach. And after eight years of ACC control, that might be best for this not-so-challenging made-for-TV event.

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After winning three of the five games Tuesday night and four of five on Wednesday, the ACC now holds a 48-27 advantage in the Challenge. I’m not sure how much these events actually prove. When March rolls around no one discusses the outcome of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in relation to postseason success. From an entertainment standpoint, this year’s event might have been more attractive boiled down to two doubleheaders. For example: Maryland vs. Illinois and Indiana vs. Duke on Tuesday; Michigan State vs. Boston College and Ohio State vs. North Carolina on Wednesday.

The ACC-Big East Challenge, which ran from 1989-91, seemed to have a higher energy level. The Big East, with great success in its first decade of existence, had become a threat to the established ACC. And the four-night event featured doubleheaders carried exclusively on the original ESPN network. Now the ACC-Big Ten games overlap on ESPN and ESPN2. Two of the games (Penn State at Georgia Tech, Iowa at Virginia Tech) were carried on ESPNU, which reaches a limited number of households.

The Big East coaches eventually got their way and ended that challenge. They didn’t care for the extra game against a difficult opponent. Administrators preferred a schedule with an extra home game and revenue that didn’t have to be shared with other conference members. There was a divorce and the ACC started another relationship with the Big Ten.

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But the exposure and recruiting advantages of early-season games between high profile conferences can’t be denied. Next year, the Big East and Southeastern Conference will begin a four-year deal calling for two doubleheaders each season. The Pac-10 and Big 12 is currently negotiating a similar agreement. Details have not been finalized but the goal is to begin those games during the 2007-08 season as well.

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has said the event with the SEC will not be true to the “challenge” concept. Each school will play just once during the length of the agreement and games will be played in big arenas at neutral sites. Chicago, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Orlando, Atlanta, Birmingham and Nashville are among the sites under consideration.

Mark Dec. 5-6, 2007 on your hoop calendar. Those are the tentative dates for the first Big East-SEC Shootout. Let’s hope the new idea catches on and spreads across college basketball. It’s time for something new.