The 21st ACC-Big Ten Challenge features 14 games over three games, pitting two of the best conferences in college basketball against each other. The event’s showcase games will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, headlined Louisville vs. Michigan and Michigan State vs. Duke.
Big Ten wins ACC/Big Ten Challenge 2019
With Ohio State’s win over North Carolina, the Big Ten edged the ACC in the challenge, 8-6.
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The ACC won the first 10 installments of the event and currently owns a 12-5-3 lead in the all-time series. The two conferences finished last year’s Challenge in a 7-7 tie.
ACC-Big Ten Challenge schedule/results
All times EST
Monday, Dec. 2
Miami 81, Illinois 79
Minnesota 78, Clemson 60
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Northwestern 82, Boston College 64
Iowa 68, Syracuse 54
No. 1 Louisville 58, No. 4 Michigan 43
Indiana 80, No. 17 Florida State 64
Pittsburgh 71, Rutgers 60
No. 10 Duke 87, No. 11 Michigan State 75
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Purdue 69, Virginia 40
Georgia Tech 73, Nebraska 56
No. 3 Maryland 72, Notre Dame 51
Penn State 76, Wake Forest 54
NC State 69, Wisconsin 54
No. 6 Ohio State 74, No. 7 North Carolina 49
ACC-Big Challenge 2019 scoreboard
Big Ten: 8
ACC: 6
ACC-Big Ten Challenge preview
The headline games of this event were supposed to be Duke facing Michigan State on Tuesday and North Carolina hosting Ohio State on Wednesday, but it’s a different ACC-Big 10 Challenge tilt that will have the nation’s highest focus this week.
Louisville is the fourth different team to grace the top of the Associated Press top 25 poll this season, marking the earliest a college basketball season has ever had four different No. 1 teams. The Cardinals are 7-0, but have yet to face a true quality opponent. That won’t be the case after Tuesday, when No. 4 Michigan visits the KFC Yum Center.
The Wolverines are coming off an impressive championship run at the Battle 4 Atlantis, where they steamrolled the trio of Iowa State, No. 6 North Carolina and No. 8 Gonzaga to claim the title of the tournament that has produced the last two national champions. Juwan Howard’s team might not have college basketball’s No. 1 ranking, but they certainly have the sport’s best resume after one month of play.
The nightcap on Tuesday features two of the other three teams that have sat atop the rankings throne this season. No. 10 Duke will be looking to prove to the college hoops world that its stunning home loss to Stephen F. Austin last week was an aberration when it travels to face a Michigan State squad that started the season as the nation’s near-consensus No. 1 team. The 11th-ranked Spartans lost to Kansas on opening night at the Champions Classic, and then were stunned by Virginia Tech in their first game at the Maui Invitational last week.
The headline game of Wednesday pits a No. 7 North Carolina team that finished third at the Battle 4 Atlantis after losing to Michigan in the semifinals against a still-unbeaten Ohio State squad. The sixth-ranked Buckeyes are 7-0 with a win over Cincinnati and a 25-point trampling of Villanova under their belt already.
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