Nebraska and Clemson come into tonight’s opener in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge (7 p.m., ESPN2) as two of the better defensive teams in the country.

Nebraska is near the top of almost every defensive category. The Cornhuskers are second in the country in scoring margin, outscoring their opposition by an average of 29.8 points per game while also being second in fewest points allowed per possession.

Clemson is 196th in the country in pace of play (with 72.7 possessions per game) and that is with its metrics being thrown off by its season opener against The Citadel. That game was a 100-80 win for Clemson as The Citadel averages 80.9 possessions in its games compared to the mean of 73.1.

Clemson has allowed more than 70 points in just one game since then and has the best defensive rebound percentage of any Division I team.

What all this means is that possessions and points will be at a premium.

The play: Total Under 138.