June 29, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The University of Virginia men's basketball team will play Northwestern University at University Hall on November 30 in the seventh ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The game will be televised by ESPNU at 8:00 p.m.

Virginia played at Northwestern in last year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge and defeated the Wildcats 48-44.

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is scheduled for November 28-30 and features 11 games.

Other games scheduled for November 30 include Georgia Tech at Michigan State, Minnesota at Maryland, Duke at Indiana and North Carolina State at Iowa.

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge opens with Virginia Tech playing at Ohio State on November 28. Games scheduled for November 29 include Wisconsin at Wake Forest, Purdue at Florida State, Clemson at Penn State, Illinois at North Carolina and Miami at Michigan.

The ACC has won the Commissioner's Cup the six previous years of the Challenge. The ACC won seven of the nine games last season.

Virginia lost at Minnesota (74-62) in the first ACC/Big Ten Challenge during the 1999-2000 season and then defeated Purdue (98-79) at University Hall during the 2000-01 season.

Virginia played Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge during the 2001-02 season, but the game was halted with 15:04 left in the contest due to wet floor conditions at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va. The unseasonably warm temperature (70 degrees) combined with the ice surface under the playing court produced condensation on the court causing slippery conditions that forced the game to be halted. UVa led 31-28 when play was stopped.

UVa lost at Michigan State (82-75) during the 2002-03 season and defeated Minnesota (86-78) at University Hall in 2003-04 before winning at Northwestern last season.