Pairings for ACC/Big Ten Challenge

The pairings for the seventh annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge were released Tuesday by ESPN.

Clemson will travel to Penn State for a November 29 matchup as part of the expanded 11-game competition. The game will be televised at 8:00 PM on ESPNU, the new 24-hour college sports network. The game will be syndicated in the local markets of the two teams and offered on ESPN Full Court, the network's college basketball pay-per-view package.

The Tigers have a 4-2 record in the six-year history of the challenge, including an 80-73 defeat of Ohio State in Littlejohn Coliseum last season. Sharrod Ford's double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) helped Clemson overcome a 10-point first half deficit in the victory.

This will mark the fourth time the Tigers and Nittany Lions are set to play each other in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Clemson is 2-1 in the previous three meetings, with its only loss coming at Penn State, 85-75, in 1999. Clemson won 79-66 in its last trip to Penn State during the 2001-02 season, behind a double-double by Chris Hobbs and +24 rebound margin. The Tigers then defeated the Nittany Lions 79-70 at the Anderson Civic Center in 2002, with Edward Scott scoring 25 points and seven assists to lead Clemson to victory.

The 2005 challenge will mark the first year of a six-year agreement (through 2010) between ESPN, the ACC, and the Big Ten to continue the annual men's college basketball inter-conference competition. The ACC has won the previous six challenges between the two conferences.

2005 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule (All Times EST)
Monday, Nov. 28 ESPN 7:30 PM Virginia Tech at Ohio State
Tuesday, Nov. 29 ESPN 7:00 PM Wisconsin at Wake Forest
ESPN2 7:30 PM Purdue at Florida State
ESPNU 8:00 PM Clemson at Penn State
ESPN 9:00 PM Illinois at North Carolina
ESPN2 9:30 PM Miami at Michigan
Wednesday, Nov. 30 ESPN2 7:30 PM Minnesota at Maryland
ESPNU 8:00 PM Northwestern at Virginia
ESPN 9:00 PM Duke at Indiana
ESPN2 9:30 PM N.C. State at Iowa