University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Host Virginia in 2012 ACC/Big Ten Challenge
5/22/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
May 22, 2012
The University of Minnesota women's basketball team will host Virginia in the sixth annual ACC/Big Ten Women's Basketball Challenge, the conference offices announced Tuesday. The Golden Gophers and the Cavaliers will face off at Williams Arena on Thursday, Nov. 29. Game time and broadcast information have not been determined.
This year's challenge will mark the sixth year of an event that has been extended to 2016.
Minnesota and Virginia will be meeting for the fifth time in program history and for the first time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, with the Maroon and Gold holding a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. In the teams' last meeting, the Gophers suffered their lone loss to the Cavaliers, 62-73, on Nov. 24, 2007 at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Prior to that contest, Minnesota had won three-straight contests versus Virginia, which included a 73-58 victory in the NCAA Tournament Second Round in 2005.
The Gophers are 2-3 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge following last season's 65-82 loss to Wake Forest at Joel Coliseum. Previous to last season, Pam Borton's team defeated Virginia Tech in 2010 and Boston College in 2008. Georgia Tech and Maryland are tied for the lead in the challenge with flawless 5-0 records, while Duke, Virginia and Michigan are close behind with 4-1 records.
Minnesota returns nine letterwinners, including three of its starters, from a team that finished the 2011-12 season with a 19-17 overall record, a 6-10 league mark and claimed the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) Championship crown. The 19 wins during the season were the most for the Maroon and Gold since the 2008-09 season.
Virginia concluded the 2011-12 campaign with a 25-11 record, the most wins since a 25-9 effort in 1999-2000 and advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT. The Cavaliers will return 10 letterwinners from last year's squad, including three starters.
A year ago, the Big Ten and ACC battled to a 6-6 draw, the first tie in the Challenge's history, while the Big Ten boasted a 9-7 record over ACC teams in all games played.
2012 ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, November 28
Ohio State at North Carolina
Iowa at Florida State
Wisconsin at Virginia Tech
Duke at Michigan
Maryland at Nebraska
Georgia Tech at Purdue
Clemson at Indiana
Northwestern at Boston College
Thursday, November 29
Penn State at Miami
Michigan State at NC State
Virginia at Minnesota
Wake Forest at Illinois
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