With college basketball less than two months from its official start on ESPN, the game times and networks for the 2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge have been revealed.
The 2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, in its 20th year, will take place across three days, beginning Monday, Nov. 26, with matchups on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
Highlighting this year’s Challenge are two potential top-25 matchups – No. 8 North Carolina facing No. 17 Michigan and No. 25 Purdue playing No. 18 Florida State – as well as a freshman showdown between Indiana and No. 2 Duke, reigning ACC champion No. 7 Virginia facing Maryland, No. 16 Syracuse visiting Ohio State and No. 9 Michigan State playing Louisville. The Challenge will feature 14 matchups between ACC and Big Ten teams.
(Note: Rankings according to Myron Medcalf’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 on ESPN.com)
Monday, November 26
7:00 p.m. – Nebraska at Clemson ESPN2
9:00 p.m. – Minnesota at Boston College ESPN2
Tuesday, November 27
7:00 p.m. – Virginia Tech at Penn State ESPN2 or ESPNU
7:00 p.m. – Illinois at Notre Dame ESPN2 or ESPNU
7:30 p.m. – Michigan State at Louisville ESPN
9:00 p.m. – NC State at Wisconsin ESPN2
9:00 p.m. – Pitt at Iowa ESPNU
9:30 p.m. – Indiana at Duke ESPN
Wednesday, November 28
7:00 p.m. – Virginia at Maryland ESPN or ESPN2
7:00 p.m. – Syracuse at Ohio State ESPN or ESPN2
7:00 p.m. – Rutgers at Miami ESPNU
9:00 p.m. – North Carolina at Michigan ESPN
9:00 p.m. – Purdue at Florida State ESPN2
9:00 p.m. – Georgia Tech at Northwestern ESPNU
Noting ACC Basketball
• The ACC led all conferences a year ago, and tied a league record it set in 2017, with nine NCAA Tournament teams.
• With its 12-9 mark in this past year’s NCAA Tournament, the ACC has finished .500 or better in each of the last 31 NCAA tournaments. The Big Ten has the next longest active streak at 12. Over that 31-year span the Big East (3), Big Ten (3), Big 12 (8), SEC (9) and Pac-12 (13) have endured losing NCAA tournament seasons at least three times each.
• With 609 wins among its 15 current members, the ACC is the all-time winningest conference in NCAA Tournament history with a .614 winning percentage.
• The ACC has combined to win an NCAA Tournament record 59 games over the last four years, eclipsing the previous mark of 53 also set by the ACC from 2014-17 and 1990-93.
• The ACC has had multiple Sweet 16 teams in 34 of the last 39 NCAA Tournaments, including 16 years with three-or-more teams and 11 years with four-or-more.
ууууу