University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers and Virginia Commence 2010 Challenge
8/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The University of Minnesota men's basketball team's Big Ten/ACC Challenge tilt against the University of Virginia on Nov. 29 will tip at 6:00 p.m. CST, the Big Ten Conference announced today. The game, to be played at historic Williams Arena, will be broadcast live by ESPN2.
Minnesota and Virginia have met a total of six times in each school's history, with the Cavaliers leading the series 3-2 (the 1993 matchup has since been vacated). The Gophers' last victory came during the 2008 Big Ten/ACC Challenge, a 66-56 triumph at "The Barn". Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith is 1-1 all-time against the Cavaliers.
The Gophers are 4-7 in the Challenge following last season's 63-58 loss to the University of Miami in Coral Gables. The Michigan State Spartans (5-5) and Wisconsin Badgers (5-6) are the only Big Ten teams with more victories than Minnesota in the 11 years of the event. Illinois (4-7), Northwestern (4-7) and Ohio State (4-5) each have four wins followed by Indiana (3-6), Michigan (3-6), Penn State (3-6) and Purdue (3-7) with three and Iowa (2-7) with two. Duke holds the best record at 10-1.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Challenge will feature 11 games and include two telecasts on ESPNU with ESPN and ESPN2 combining to televise the remaining nine games. ESPN3.com, the broadband sports television network from ESPN, will simulcast the ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts.
The Big Ten is the defending Challenge champion, defeating the ACC by a 6-to-5 margin a year ago. Road teams won six of the 11 games in 2009 and seven of the contests were decided by seven points or less, including four games by four points or fewer.
2010 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Schedule
Monday, Nov. 29 | Virginia at Minnesota - 6:00 p.m. - ESPN2 |
Tuesday, Nov. 30 | Iowa at Wake Forest - 6:00 p.m. - ESPNU |
| | Georgia Tech at Northwestern - 6:00 p.m. - ESPN2 Ohio State at Florida State - 6:30 p.m. - ESPN Michigan at Clemson - 8:00 p.m. - ESPN2 |
| | North Carolina at Illinois - 8:30 p.m. - ESPN |
Wednesday, Dec. 1 | Indiana at Boston College - 6:15 p.m. - ESPNU North Carolina State at Wisconsin - 6:15 p.m. - ESPN2 Purdue at Virginia Tech - 6:30 p.m. - ESPN Maryland at Penn State - 8:15 p.m. - ESPN2 Michigan State at Duke - 8:30 p.m. - ESPN |
