LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville men’s basketball team will face Purdue in the 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 30 in the KFC Yum! Center.
Purdue produced a 26-9 record and finished tied for third in the Big Ten Conference last season. The Boilermakers, which were ranked 12th in the final Associated Press poll and 19th in the USA Today coaches poll, fell to Little Rock in double overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the last meeting between the two teams, Louisville fell 67-59 to Purdue on Dec. 15, 2007 in the John Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis, Ind. Purdue has an 11-5 all-time series advantage over Louisville, winning the last three matchups. The Cardinals fell 71-67 at No. 3 Michigan State in last year’s challenge event and beat No. 14 Ohio State 64-55 in Louisville in the Cardinals’ first appearance in the challenge in 2014.
Ten lettermen return for the Cardinals, which posted a 23-8 record during the 2015-16 season, finished fourth in the ACC and beat two Final Four participants in North Carolina and Syracuse. It was the 14th consecutive season UofL has won 20 or more games — one of just four teams to do so — and the Cardinals were ranked 16th in the Final Associated Press national rankings. Louisville has won 146 games over the past five seasons, the fifth-most in the nation during that stretch.
The 14-game slate of inter-conference matchups to be played over a three-day period was announced on Wednesday, with the games to be televised on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. All 14 games will also be available via WatchESPN. Times and specific television will be announced later.
Nine programs from the two leagues are ranked in an ESPN.com early preseason top 25 poll, including six of the top nine: No. 1 Duke; No. 5 Louisville; No. 6 North Carolina; No. 7 Virginia; No. 8 Indiana; No. 9 Wisconsin; No. 13 Michigan State; No. 14 Maryland; No. 16 Purdue and No. 17 Syracuse.
Fourteen teams from the two leagues played in the 2015 NCAA Championship including NCAA runner-up North Carolina; Final Four participant Syracuse; Elite Eight teams Notre Dame and Virginia; Sweet 16 teams Duke, Indiana, Maryland, Miami and Wisconsin; and early-round participants Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Purdue.
The Big Ten captured the Commissioner’s Cup the last two years, winning eight of the 14 matchups in each year. The leagues split the previous two events. The ACC won the first 10 Challenges (1999-2008), while the Big Ten won the next three (2009-2011). In the event of a tie, the Commissioner’s Cup remains with the conference that won the previous year. The ACC holds the 10-5-2 winning record in the previous 17 years.
2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge schedule
Monday, Nov 28
Minnesota at Florida State
Wake Forest at Northwestern
Tuesday, Nov 29
No. 17 Syracuse at No. 9 Wisconsin
No. 13 Michigan State at No. 1 Duke
Pittsburgh at No. 14 Maryland
Iowa at Notre Dame
Georgia Tech at Penn State
NC State at Illinois
Wednesday, Nov 30
No. 16 Purdue at No. 5 Louisville
No. 6 North Carolina at No. 8 Indiana
Ohio State at No. 7 Virginia
Virginia Tech at Michigan
Rutgers at Miami
Nebraska at Clemson