North Carolina State University Athletics
ACC and Big Ten Form Women's Basketball Challenge
5/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Greensboro, N.C. --- The Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten today announced the formation of an annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge for women’s basketball, which will span at least four years and will begin in the fall of 2007. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge will match 11 teams from each conference in head-to-head competition traditionally on the first Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after Thanksgiving, following the men’s basketball Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The inaugural Big Ten/ACC Challenge will feature games outside the traditional timeframe as the first contest of the Challenge will feature Michigan at Miami on Nov. 19. The Big Ten will then host the next two games on Nov. 28, as Wake Forest travels to Northwestern and Iowa hosts Georgia Tech. Three games are slated for Nov. 29, with Michigan State hosting Clemson, Purdue traveling to North Carolina and Illinois heading to NC State. ACC teams will host three of the four Nov. 30 games when Maryland welcomes Ohio State, Virginia Tech hosts Minnesota and Wisconsin travels to Virginia. In addition, Indiana will serve as host to Florida State on Nov. 30. The 2007 Big Ten/ACC Challenge concludes on Dec. 2 with Duke competing at Penn State.
“The Atlantic Coast Conference is pleased to be part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for women’s basketball,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “To be able to showcase our women’s basketball teams in premier competition with the Big Ten Conference in a great event like this will create excitement and enthusiasm with our participating teams and their fans.”
“The Big Ten Conference and its institutions are thrilled of the formation of this great event and the Big Ten/ACC Challenge will provide a wonderful stage on which these two traditionally dominant women’s basketball conferences will compete,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “The Big Ten and the ACC boast some of the most passionate women’s basketball fans in the country and we feel this Challenge will not only strengthen our teams, but our loyal fan base as well.”
The Big Ten and ACC conference offices will coordinate the 11-game schedule each season and matchups may repeat from year-to-year in efforts to coordinate similar opponents. The ACC will select its top 11 teams from the previous season from its 12-team membership. In addition, the official title of the Challenge will rotate each year beginning with the Big Ten/ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge in 2007. The 2008 event will be referred to as the ACC/Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge and will continue to mirror the official title of the two conferences’ Challenge agreement for men’s basketball.
Game times, as well as television and broadband coverage, will be announced at a later date.
The Big Ten and ACC have long been among the dominant conferences on the women’s basketball scene. This past season, North Carolina advanced to the national semifinals giving the ACC back-to-back Final Four appearances for the third time in league history, just as the Big Ten had in 2003-04 and 2004-05. In 2005-06, the ACC became the first conference to send three teams Duke, Maryland and North Carolina to the same Final Four, while the Big Ten was represented by both Iowa and Ohio State in the 1993 event. The Big Ten has participated in five of the last nine Final Fours and eight overall, compared to the ACC’s 11 trips, including six in the past 11 years. In most recent comparison, the 2006-07 campaign concluded with collegerpi.com rating the ACC and Big Ten third and fourth, respectively, in the final RPI. In the same report, the Big Ten was ranked first in strength of schedule, followed by the ACC in third. Since the 1999-00 season, the two conferences have squared off in head-to-head competition on 57 occasions, with the ACC holding a slight 29-28 advantage.
2007-08 SCHEDULE
November 19
Michigan at Miami
November 28
Wake Forest at Northwestern
Georgia Tech at Iowa
November 29
Clemson at Michigan State
Purdue at North Carolina
Illinois at NC State
November 30
Ohio State at Maryland
Minnesota at Virginia Tech
Florida State at Indiana
Wisconsin at Virginia
December 2
Duke at Penn State
FUTURE CHALLENGE NAMES & DATES:
2008: ACC/Big Ten Challenge Dec. 3, 4, 5
2009: Big Ten/ACC Challenge Dec. 2, 3, 4
2010: ACC/Big Ten Challenge Dec. 1, 2, 3
ALREADY A CHALLENGE
Since the 1999-00 season, the Big Ten and ACC have squared off in head-to-head competition on 57 occasions, with the ACC holding a slight 29-28 advantage.
COMMON CHALLENGERS
The 2007 Big Ten/ACC Challenge will feature nine contests in which the two opponents have previously met. In the all-time series between the two teams, the ACC holds a 13-9 advantage, which includes Duke’s 4-0 record over Penn State. The Big Ten has won five of the nine most recent meetings
Michigan is tied all time with Miami, 1-1
Last Meeting: Michigan, 60-55, 12/3/06
Northwestern leads Wake Forest, 2-0
Last Meeting: Northwestern, 89-73, 12/4/93
Clemson leads Michigan State, 1-0
Last Meeting: Clemson, 75-64, 12/18/89
North Carolina leads Purdue, 3-1
Last Meeting: No. Carolina, 84-72, 3/27/07 (NCAA Regional)
Ohio State leads Maryland, 2-1
Last Meeting: Ohio State 75-65, 3/22/05 (NCAA 2nd Round)
Minnesota leads Virginia Tech, 1-0
Last Meeting: Minnesota, 70-56, 11/20/04
Florida State leads Indiana, 2-1
Last Meeting: Florida State, 58-47, 12/3/02
Wisconsin is tied all time with Virginia, 1-1
Last Meeting: Wisconsin, 84-78, 3/25/07 (WNIT Quarterfinal)
Duke leads Penn State, 4-0
Last Meeting: Duke, 70-42, 11/21/06
Two of the Challenge contests will feature a pair of teams that have never faced one another. Georgia Tech travels to Iowa for the series’ first meeting, while Illinois heads to NC State for its debut against the Wolfpack.
QUICK TURNAROUND
Four Challenge games will serve as a rematch between the two teams from the 2006-07 season. Michigan defeated Miami, 60-55, last year, while Duke earned a 70-42 victory over Penn State prior to conference play. Wisconsin topped Virginia, 84-78, in the WNIT Quarterfinals and North Carolina advanced to the Final Four with an 84-72 win over Purdue.
NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES
The Challenge’s finale between Duke and Penn State will feature familiar foes and a few fresh faces as well. The Lady Lions, led by first-year head coach Coquese Washington, will meet a Blue Devil team that recently hired former Michigan State mentor Joanne P. McCallie as its head coach
