The ACC/Big Ten Challenge opens with a full schedule tonight (Nov 28) after Monday nights single game tournament opener where the North Carolina State Wolfpack defeated the Michigan Wolverines 74-67 in a thriller in Raleigh. The win propels the Wolfpack to a 5-0 record and keeps new coach Sidney Lowe undefeated. Lowe helped guide NC State to a national championship in 1983 under the late Jim Valvano. The Wolfpack were led by Brandon Costner with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Ben McCauley with 19 points and eight rebounds.
The ACC-Big Ten Challenge features top teams from both conferences battling it out for conference supremacy and the Commissioner's Cup. This will mark the second consecutive season the event features 11 games, and is an increase from two years ago when they only played nine. ESPN and ESPN2 will televise nine of the 11 games with ESPNU covering the remaining two. All 11 games take play Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
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These two conferences have combined to win four of the last seven NCAA Championships. The ACC and Big Ten rank first or second in all-time NCAA Tournament bids, victories and Final Four appearances.
Illinois, (7-0) -4.5 point favorites (total 144 ½) hosts No.23 Maryland (7-0) to open up Tuesday’s play at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN. No 12. Wisconsin (5-1) welcomes Florida State to Madison in a 7:35 p.m. tip-off and televised on ESPN2. The Badgers are favored by an -11 point chalk (total 132 ½). Penn State visits Georgia Tech in an 8 p.m. contest with the Yellow Jackets installed as -15 ½ point favorites (total 136 ½).
The Duke Blue Devils play host to the Indiana Hoosiers and are favored -11 (total 134) in a 9:00 p.m. tip-off from Cameron Indoor Stadium and televised on ESPN. The late game has Northwestern at home to Miami with the Wildcats favored by -1.0 (total 115). The game can be seen on ESPN2.
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The Wednesday lineup of games has Michigan State at Boston College (7 p.m., ESPN), Virginia at Purdue (7:30 p.m., ESPN2) followed by Iowa at Virginia Tech (8 p.m., ESPNU). Then Ohio State plays at North Carolina (ESPN) and Clemson plays at Minnesota (9:30 p.m. ESPN2).
