GREENSBORO, N.C. (TheACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten Conference will square off starting Wednesday in the 2018 ACC/Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge. This year’s Challenge will mark the 12th straight year of the event that pits the two perennially strong conferences against each other.
The ACC and Big Ten conference offices determine the schedule each season, and the official title of the Challenge rotates each year. The 2018 event will be referred to as the ACC/Big Ten Women's Basketball Challenge and will continue to mirror the official title of the conferences' Challenge agreement for men's basketball.
All 14 Big Ten teams and 14 of the 15 ACC teams will participate in the 2018 Challenge.
This year’s event will be played in a two-day format beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
The five-game slate on Nov. 28 includes home games for Clemson (vs. Illinois), Virginia Tech (vs. Rutgers) and Wake Forest (vs. Indiana), while Duke (at Wisconsin) and Virginia (at Michigan State) will be on the road. On Thursday, Nov. 29, Florida State (vs. Penn State), Louisville (vs. Nebraska), NC State (vs. Michigan) and Notre Dame (vs. Iowa) will host Big Ten opponents, and Georgia Tech (at Maryland), Miami (at Purdue), North Carolina (at Ohio State), Pitt (at Northwestern) and Syracuse (at Minnesota) visit their inter-conference foes.
A year ago, ACC women’s basketball teams combined for a record 10 wins over the Big Ten to win the 2017 Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 10-4. The outright title was the eighth overall for the ACC. The ACC owns an 81-55 record against the Big Ten in Challenge games.
After a closely contested first day of games in which the ACC held a slim 3-2 edge, the ACC claimed seven wins last Nov. 30, to clinch the title.
The ACC’s success in the Challenge was parlayed throughout the 2017-18 season as the conference matched a league record with eight teams selected to the NCAA Championship, and both Louisville and Notre Dame advancing to the Final Four. The Fighting Irish upset Connecticut in the semifinals before overcoming a 15-point deficit in the title game to beat Mississippi State for their second NCAA crown. The ACC went 16-7 in the 2018 NCAA tournament.
Two additional squads, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, were selected to the WNIT with the Hokies advancing to the championship final.
Game times, as well as television coverage for the 2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, will be announced at a later date.
2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule
Wednesday, Nov. 28
Illinois at Clemson
Rutgers at Virginia Tech
Indiana at Wake Forest
Duke at Wisconsin
Virginia at Michigan State
Thursday, Nov. 29
Iowa at Notre Dame
Nebraska at Louisville
Georgia Tech at Maryland
Penn State at Florida State
Pitt at Northwestern
North Carolina at Ohio State
Miami at Purdue
Syracuse at Minnesota
Michigan at NC State