BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech will travel to Penn State on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in the 16th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods. Game time and network will be announced at a later date.
The Hokies will be making their second trip to University Park for an ACC/Big Ten Challenge game. Tech fell to PSU, 66-61, as part of the 2007 Challenge. Virginia Tech is 6-1 all-time against the Nittany Lions and 3-1 in road games in the series. Penn State was 16-18 this past season. The Hokies are 3-5 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and 1-3 in road games in the Challenge. Tech won its last game in the Challenge, a 95-71 win over Iowa in Cassell Coliseum in the 2012 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The 16th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, played over three days from December 1-3, will be highlighted by an expanded format of 14 games – two more than previous Challenges – and the debut of Maryland and Rutgers as members of the Big Ten, and Louisville with the ACC.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise all 14 games of the three-day event, matching top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioners Cup. All 14 games will also be available via WatchESPN.
Three of the games will feature a showdown between teams ranked in an ESPN.com early preseason top 25 poll: No. 2 Duke at No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 25 Iowa at No. 6 North Carolina and No. 21 Syracuse at No. 24 Michigan. Additional teams in the Challenge that made the poll include No. 7 Virginia, No. 8 Louisville and No. 18 Michigan State.
All 14 Big Ten teams and 14 of the 15 ACC teams will participate in the 2014 Challenge. Boston College will not play in the 2014 event.
The ACC and Big Ten have split the past two events, winning six Challenge games each in 2012 and 2013. In the event of a tie, the Commissioner’s Cup remains with the conference that won the previous year, which was the Big Ten in 2011. The ACC won the first 10 Challenges (1999-2008) while the Big Ten won the next three (2009-2011).
2014 ACC/Big Ten Challenge schedule
(Rankings refer to preseason top 25 by ESPN.com senior college basketball writer Andy Katz)
Mon, Dec 1 Nebraska at Florida State
Rutgers at Clemson
Tue, Dec 2 No. 21 Syracuse at No. 24 Michigan
Ohio State at No. 8 Louisville
Pittsburgh at Indiana
NC State at Purdue
Illinois at Miami (Fla.)
Minnesota at Wake Forest
Wed, Dec 3 No. 2 Duke at No. 4 Wisconsin
No. 18 Michigan State at Notre Dame
No. 25 Iowa at No. 6 North Carolina
No. 7 Virginia at Maryland
Georgia Tech at Northwestern
Virginia Tech at Penn State
Game times and ESPN platform designations will be determined and announced at a later date.
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