The Big Ten and Atlantic Coast conferences unveil the 14 games that will comprise the 13th annual challenge
ROSEMONT, Ill. — For the 13th consecutive season, two of the nation’s premier women’s basketball conferences will square off for hardwood bragging rights, as the matchups for the Big Ten/ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge were announced Tuesday. The annual challenge, which is scheduled to continue through the 2026-27 season, offers 14 high-quality matchups for the sixth consecutive year.
The Challenge will take place over two days in early December, beginning Wednesday, Dec. 4, with Big Ten schools Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern playing host to ACC counterparts that evening, while Indiana and Minnesota venture on the road. The following night (Thursday, Dec. 5), Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers will serve as the Big Ten host schools, while Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin will play at ACC sites.
Last year’s Challenge once again proved to be among the most competitive in the event’s history, with the ACC edging the Big Ten, 8-6. Five of last year’s Challenge games were decided by single digits (and two others by 11 points), including a pair of one-possession games and the first overtime Challenge games since 2016. Last year, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Purdue registered wins for the Big Ten.
The Big Ten and ACC offices collaborate to determine the Challenge schedule each season. In addition, the official title of the Challenge rotates each year. The 2019 event will be referred to as the Big Ten/ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge and will continue to mirror the official title of the two conferences’ Challenge agreements for men’s basketball and softball.
The Big Ten and ACC have been among the most competitive conferences on the national women’s basketball landscape for many years, with both conferences sending nine schools to postseason play in 2018-19.
The Big Ten had six schools qualify for the NCAA Tournament back in March, as Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and Rutgers all advanced to the national tournament, with Iowa and Maryland earning top-four national seeds and the Hawkeyes reaching the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1993. Three other Big Ten squads (Minnesota, Northwestern and Ohio State) participated in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), with Northwestern advancing to the WNIT championship game for the first time in program history, marking the third consecutive year and 10th time overall that a current Big Ten school has reached the WNIT final.
Last season, the ACC had eight women’s basketball programs participate in the NCAA Tournament, while a ninth ACC school competed in the WNIT.
Game times, as well as television and streaming video coverage, for the 2019 Big Ten/ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge will be announced at a later date. All Big Ten home games in this year’s Challenge will appear on either BTN, ESPN, ESPN2 or BTN Plus, while ACC home games in the Challenge will be shown on either the ACC Network, ESPN, ESPN2 or ACC Network Extra.
The complete schedule of home/away matchups can be found below.
2019 Big Ten/ACC Women’s Basketball Challenge
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Clemson at Iowa
Indiana at Miami
Duke at Nebraska
Boston College at Northwestern
Minnesota at Notre Dame
Thursday, Dec. 5
Michigan State at Florida State
Wisconsin at Georgia Tech
Syracuse at Michigan
Illinois at North Carolina
Maryland at NC State
Louisville at Ohio State
Pitt at Penn State
Virginia at Rutgers
Purdue at Virginia Tech
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