Wake Forest Athletics
National Championship Rematch Set In ACC/Big 10 Challenge
7/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 9, 2002
The fourth annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge match-ups have been determined with the event once again featuring several top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner's Cup -- and highlighted among the nine-game schedule will be a rematch of the 2002 national championship game between Maryland and Indiana.
ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise the nine-game Challenge Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 2 - 4 from seven different college campuses and two neutral sites. It will mark the first time in the four-year history of the Challenge every game will be televised nationally, resulting in a new three-day schedule (ESPN Regional Television televised one game each of the first three years). ESPN and ESPN2 will each present a doubleheader on Tuesday and Wednesday.
2002 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule
| Monday, Dec. 2 | ||
| 9 p.m. | ESPN2 | Iowa at Florida State |
| Tuesday, Dec. 3 | ||
| 7 p.m. | ESPN | Ohio State vs. Duke |
| (Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.) | ||
| 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Penn State at Clemson |
| 9 p.m. | ESPN | Maryland vs. Indiana |
| (Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.) | ||
| 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | North Carolina at Illinois |
| Wednesday, Dec. 4 | ||
| 7 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia Tech at Minnesota |
| 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Northwestern at N.C. State |
| 9 p.m. | ESPN | Virginia at Michigan State |
| 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Wake Forest at Wisconsin |
(all times Eastern)
Challenge highlights include:
Rematch of the NCAA National Championship Game: This year's Challenge will feature a rematch of last year's NCAA National Championship game when defending Champion Maryland plays Indiana at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, one of two neutral site games in the Challenge.
Conference Champions Meet: Defending Conference Tournament Champions will meet when Big Ten champion Ohio State faces ACC champion Duke from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., the other neutral site game in the Challenge. The two teams will meet for the fifth time in school history and the first time since a 1978 overtime victory by Ohio State.
Attempts for a Second Win After a Successful Debut: Indiana and Ohio State will each attempt to follow last year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge debut victory with another this year. In last year's Challenge, Indiana defeated North Carolina and Ohio State defeated N.C. State.
Top Programs in Competition: Once again, this year's Challenge will feature several of the top programs in the country, including the past three NCAA Champions: Maryland (2002), Duke (2001) and Michigan State (2000) -- who will take on perennial ACC power Virginia.
ACC Looks for Four in a Row: The ACC has won the Commissioners Cup all three years of the Challenge. Last year, the ACC took won five of the eight games.
John Wildhack, ESPN Senior Vice President, Programming, on the Challenge: "The ACC/Big Ten Challenge has featured memorable match-ups involving some of the most tradition-laden programs in all of college basketball. The Challenge has become an important event to not only Big Ten and ACC fans, but to all college basketball fans. Over three days, we look forward to tremendous competition amidst a great atmosphere."
Jim Delany, Big Ten Commissioner, on the Challenge: "As we enter the fourth year of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, we look forward to another great series of games between two of the country's top basketball conferences. As always, the event provides an outstanding opportunity for the players and coaches to evaluate their progress early in the season and for the first time, gives the fans a chance to watch all nine games on national television. We had high expectations for the Challenge when it was initiated three years ago, and we have every reason to believe that the 2002 event will be another success."
John Swofford, ACC Commissioner, on the Challenge: "Once again, the Atlantic Coast Conference is delighted to be partnered with ESPN and the Big Ten Conference in this, the fourth season of the ACC-Big Ten Basketball Challenge. The Challenge quickly has become a much-anticipated event for our fans, friends and alumni, as well as for college basketball in general. It allows our schools to compete against outstanding teams from the Big Ten, providing quality early-season match-ups for our coaches and players. Through its first three years of existence, the Challenge's format, combined with the high level of competition and the intensity of play, has resulted in an unbeatable mixture of on-court drama and excellent college basketball."
