May 2, 2006

Champaign, Ill. - Matchups for the eighth annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge have been determined with the event featuring top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner's Cup. Illinois has drawn a home game this year, hosting Maryland on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. Illinois is currently on a two-game Challenge winning streak after defeating then No. 1-ranked Wake Forest 91-73 at the Assembly Hall in 2004 and winning at North Carolina 68-64 last season.

For the second 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. This year's event will be played on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after Thanksgiving (November 27-29).

Since 2000, these two conferences have combined to make 13 Final Four appearances and captured four of the last seven 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.

2006 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule (ALL TIMES CT)
Monday, Nov. 27
6 p.m.      ESPN2     Michigan at N.C. State
Tuesday, Nov. 28
6 p.m.      ESPN      Maryland at Illinois
6:30 p.m.   ESPN2     Florida State at Wisconsin
7 p.m.      ESPNU     Penn State at Georgia Tech
8 p.m.      ESPN      Indiana at Duke
8:30 p.m.   ESPN2     Miami at Northwestern
Wednesday, Nov. 29
6 p.m.      ESPN      Michigan State at Boston College
6:30 p.m.   ESPN2     Virginia at Purdue
7 p.m.      ESPNU     Iowa at Virginia Tech
8 p.m.      ESPN      Ohio State at North Carolina
8:30 p.m.   ESPN2     Clemson at Minnesota