Bluegrass Sports Nation

Cardinals will Face Purdue in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

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

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