University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Visit Boston College in ACC/B1G Challenge
6/1/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Gopher Men's Basketball Season Tickets On Sale Now!
The Minnesota men's basketball team will head back to New England for the second straight year, with a date against Boston College set for the 2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The matchup, which will take place on Monday, November 26 in Chestnut Hill, Mass., was announced Friday by ESPN and the two conferences.
"I'm excited for our team to add another quality opponent to our early season schedule in Boston College," said Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino. "They're one of the fastest rising teams in the ACC and Coach Christian and his staff have done a tremendous job building their program. It will be another great and challenging test for our team. On a personal level, I'm excited to have a chance to bring our team to Boston - a place that is very meaningful to me and my family."
Game time and television broadcast information for the game at Conte Forum will be announced at a later date. All 14 games of the event will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, along with streaming live on the ESPN app.
This will be the first meeting between the two schools. The Gophers have found success in the Challenge under Pitino, winning three out of five times in his tenure including a road victory at Wake Forest in 2015. Last year saw the Gophers fall to then-No. 10 Miami, 86-81, in front of a sellout crowd at Williams Arena. Overall, the Gophers are 9-10 all-time since the annual event began in 1999.
Boston College is coming off a 2017-18 season in which it earned the program's first postseason berth in seven seasons. The Eagles fell to Western Kentucky, 79-62, on the road in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament. Among the returning BC players are the ACC's top returning scorer in Ky Bowman (17.6 ppg).
Pitino will be coaching for the second time against Boston College. On November 11, 2012, in his first game as head coach of Florida International, Pitino's Golden Panthers squad fell to the Eagles at Conte Forum.
No stranger to the Hub, Pitino was raised in Boston and is a graduate of St. Sebastian's School in Needham. Last season, the Gophers traveled to nearby Providence, Pitino's alma mater, where Minnesota earned an 86-74 win over the Friars.
Season tickets for the upcoming 2018-19 Minnesota men's basketball season are on sale now, with more information available at the link above.
The full schedule for the 2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the 20th iteration of the event, is listed below.
ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule (times and TV info to be announced)
Monday, Nov. 26
Minnesota at Boston College
Nebraska at Clemson
Tuesday, Nov. 27
Illinois at Notre Dame
Indiana at Duke
Michigan State at Louisville
Pitt at Iowa
Virginia Tech at Penn State
NC State at Wisconsin
Wednesday, Nov. 28
Purdue at Florida State
Rutgers at Miami
North Carolina at Michigan
Virginia at Maryland
Georgia Tech at Northwestern
Syracuse at Ohio State