North Carolina Travels to Columbus in 2007 Big Ten/ACC Challenge – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 17, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Matchups for the ninth annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge have been determined with the event featuring top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner’s Cup on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. Ohio State will take on North Carolina in Columbus Nov. 28 on ESPN this year.
Ohio State will be participating in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the sixth-consecutive year. Ohio State first participated in the event during the 2002-03 season against Duke in Greensboro, N.C., a 91-75 Blue Devils’ victory. Georgia Tech traveled to Ohio State in 2004 and won 73-53. The Buckeyes traveled to Clemson in 2004-05 and fell to the Tigers, 80-73. Ohio State defeated Virginia Tech in Columbus in the 2005 event, 69-59, for its first victory in the Challenge. The Buckeyes met North Carolina in the 2006 event. The Tar Heels, ranked No. 7 at the time in the Associated Press Poll, defeated the No. 3-ranked Buckeyes in Chapel Hill, 98-89.
For the third-consecutive year, the event will feature 11 games (an increase from nine in the six previous years) from 11 different college campuses and include two telecasts on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network. ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise the remaining nine games. The event this year will be played on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 26-28).
The schedule this year will be highlighted by the first meeting between basketball powers Wisconsin and Duke, a rematch of the 2006 Ohio State and North Carolina Challenge game and first Challenge showdowns — Georgia Tech-Indiana, Wake Forest-Iowa, Boston College-Michigan, N.C. State-Michigan State and Virginia Tech-Penn State.
2007 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Schedule (ALL TIMES ET)
| Monday, Nov. 26 | ||
| 7 p.m. | ESPN2 | Wake Forest at Iowa |
| Tuesday, Nov. 27 | ||
| 7 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia Tech at Indiana |
| 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Minnesota at Florida State |
| 8 p.m. | ESPNU | Northwestern at Virginia |
| 9 p.m. | ESPN | Wisconsin at Duke |
| 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Purdue at Clemson |
| Wednesday, Nov. 28 | ||
| 7 p.m. | ESPN | N.C. State at Michigan State |
| 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Illinois at Maryland |
| 8 p.m. | ESPNU | Boston College at Michigan |
| 9 p.m. | ESPN | North Carolina at Ohio State |
| 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Virginia Tech at Penn State |
2007 Challenge highlights:
First Meeting: ESPN will televise the first meeting between traditional programs Wisconsin and Duke. Duke has won its previous eight Challenge games.
Challenge Rematches: Ohio State, a participant in the 2007 National Championship game, will play North Carolina, an Elite Eight team in the 2007 tournament, in a rematch of the 2006 Challenge game, won by North Carolina 98-89. Another rematch from last year will pit Illinois at Maryland. Last year, Maryland won 72-66 and also defeated Illinois 76-63 in the 2001 Challenge.
Unfamiliar Opponent: Georgia Tech and Indiana’s first Challenge matchup also will mark the first time the teams have met since 1969, an 87-65 Georgia Tech victory.
ESPNU Televises Two Games: For the third-consecutive year, ESPNU will televise two games, both at 8 p.m.: Northwestern at Virginia Tuesday, Nov. 27 and Boston College at Michigan Wednesday, Nov. 28.
Commissioner’s Cup: The ACC has won the Commissioner’s Cup the previous eight years.
Since 2000, these two conferences have combined to make 14 Final Four appearances and captured four of the last eight NCAA Championships. In addition, the ACC and Big Ten rank either first or second in all-time NCAA tournament bids, victories and Final Four appearances.
