June 29, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland men's basketball team will play host to the Minnesota Golden Gophers as part of the 2005-06 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Terrapins' first official date of the upcoming season was released Wednesday with the announcement of the pairings for the seventh annual event, as the Gophers will visit Comcast Center in College Park on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in a nationally televised matchup on ESPN2.

Maryland's complete 2005-06 schedule will be released in mid-August.

The Terrapins own a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series with Minnesota, but the schools have not met since a two game home-and-away series across the 1960 and '61 seasons.

The seventh annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups will once again feature top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner's Cup. ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise the 11-game challenge Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, November 28-30, from 11 different college campuses.

Since 2000, the two conferences have combined to make 13 Final Four appearances and captured four of the last six NCAA Championships. In addition, the ACC and Big Ten rank either first or second in all-time NCAA Tournament bids, victories and Final Four appearances.

The ACC was the nation's highest rated league in terms of overall strength in each of the last two seasons, according to the RPI report. Four ACC teams were ranked in the final USA Today/ESPN Top 25 and eight appeared in the polls over the course of the 2004-05 season. The ACC has won the Commissioner's Cup in each of the six previous ACC/Big Ten Challenges. The Terrapins own a 3-3 all-time record in the event.

2005 ACC-Big Ten Challenge Schedule (ALL TIMES ET)
Monday, Nov. 28
7:30 p.m.       ESPN2   Virginia Tech at Ohio State

Tuesday, Nov. 29
7:00 p.m.       ESPN    Wisconsin at Wake Forest
7:30 p.m.       ESPN2   Purdue at Florida State
8:00 p.m.       ESPNU   Clemson at Penn State
9:00 p.m.       ESPN    Illinois at North Carolina
9:30 p.m.       ESPN2   Miami at Michigan

Wednesday, Nov. 30
7:00 p.m.       ESPN    Georgia Tech at Michigan State
7:30 p.m.       ESPN2   Minnesota at MARYLAND
8:00 p.m.       ESPNU   Northwestern at Virginia
9:00 p.m.       ESPN    Duke at Indiana
9:30 p.m.       ESPN2   N.C. State at Iowa