July 2, 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. 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.

NC State, which has posted a 2-1 record in its previous Challenge appearances, will entertain Northwestern in this year's event. The game will be played at Raleigh's Entertainment and Sports Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Gametime is 7:30 and the contest will be shown on ESPN2. This will mark the first meeting between the Wolfpack and Wildcats since the 1969-70 season. NC State has won both games played in the series.

Last year, the ACC prevailed in five of eight games to win the Commissioner's Cup for the third straight year.

2002 ACC/Big Ten Schedule

Monday, Dec. 2
Iowa at Florida State, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Tuesday, Dec. 3
Ohio State vs. Duke, 7 p.m. on ESPN (Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.)
Penn State at Clemson, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Maryland vs. Indiana, 9 p.m. on ESPN (Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.)
North Carolina at Illinois, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2

Wednesday, Dec. 4
Georgia Tech at Minnesota, 7 p.m. on ESPN
Northwestern at N.C. State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Virginia at Michigan State, 9 p.m. on ESPN
Wake Forest at Wisconsin, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2

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."