Northwestern University Athletics
Matchups Set For Big Ten/ACC Challenge
6/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 18, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - The fifth annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge match-ups have been determined, with the event once again featuring several top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner's Cup.
For the first time in those five years, Northwestern will lead the way for the Big Ten. The Wildcats will open the event Monday, Dec. 1 against Florida State. The game will begin at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. Central) and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
This will mark the third time NU has squared off with Florida State in the Challenge. However, it will be the Wildcats' first trip to Tallahassee -- the Seminoles came to Evanston in 1999 (a 60-46 FSU win) and 2001 (a 57-50 NU win). Overall, Northwestern is 1-2 against the 'Noles.
"We are excited to play in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge every year," said NU head coach Bill Carmody. "It is a great opportunity for us to play a quality opponent early in the season, and we can use it as a good gauge of where we are to that point and where we need to go. Playing the first game of this year's Challenge presents us with the opportunity to give the Big Ten a good start, too, and that is exciting.
"I know a lot of people consider Florida State's recruiting class to be the best in the country, so this will be a good test for our younger guys -- especially playing the game on the road."
Northwestern is 1-3 all-time in the Challenge. In addition to the split with Florida State, NU lost at Clemson in 2000 (57-44) and at N.C. State last year (74-49). This will be the second straight road game for Northwestern in Challenge play, and the third out of five appearances.
ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise the nine-game Challenge Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 1-3, from eight different college campuses and one neutral site. It will mark the second consecutive year that every game will be televised nationally in a three-day schedule (ESPN Regional Television televised one game each of the first three years).
2003 Big Ten/ACC Schedule (all times Eastern)
Monday, Dec. 1
Northwestern at Florida State (7 p.m. on ESPN2)
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Indiana at Wake Forest (7 p.m. on ESPN)
N.C. State at Michigan (7:30 p.m. on ESPN2)
Illinois vs. North Carolina (9 p.m. on ESPN)
(at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.)
Wisconsin at Maryland (9:30 p.m. on ESPN2)
Wednesday, Dec. 3
Georgia Tech at Ohio State (7 p.m. on ESPN)
Clemson at Purdue (7:30 p.m. on ESPN2)
Duke at Michigan State (9 p.m. on ESPN)
Minnesota at Virginia (9:30 p.m. on ESPN2)
Big Ten/ACC Challenge highlights include:
*Top Programs in Competition: Six of the top 20 teams in last year's final national rankings will be part of the action - #9 Duke, #10 Maryland, #12 Wake Forest, Wisconsin and Illinois tied at #13 and #18 Michigan. Note: Rankings from the ESPN/USA Today poll.
*Recent NCAA Champions in Action: Two perennial powers and recent NCAA Champions will square off when Duke (2001 NCAA Champion) visits Michigan State (2000).
*ACC Looks for Five in a Row: The ACC will look to win a fifth Commissioner's Cup, having edged the Big Ten by winning five of the nine games in three of the first four Challenges including last year.
*Sour Taste: Ohio State will look for redemption against Georgia Tech, which ended the Buckeyes' 2003 season with a 72-58 win in the second round of NIT.
*A Rivalry Renewed: Maryland, the 2002 National Champions, will face Wisconsin, last year's Big Ten regular-season champion, for the third time in four years. Maryland defeated Wisconsin in the second round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament, 87-57, and Wisconsin posted a 78-75 overtime victory over the Terrapins in the 2000 Challenge.
*New Year, New Faces, Neutral Site: The only neutral-site game on this year's schedule (the first four included two neutral-site games) will feature North Carolina, led by new coach Roy Williams, against Illinois, led by new coach Bruce Weber. The game is a rematch from last year's Challenge, a 92-65 Fighting Illini victory.
