Nov. 28, 2005

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Big Ten/ACC Challenge -- Year Seven: In its seventh year, the Big Ten/ACC Challenge will increase to 11 games for the first time and take place on Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 28-30. The new, expanded event - increasing from nine games in the six previous years - will include two telecasts on ESPNU, while ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise the other nine games, marking the fourth consecutive year every game will be televised nationally.

Postseason Success Stories: Both leagues have produced a long history of NCAA Tournament success. In fact, the two conferences rank first or second in NCAA Tournament appearances (Big Ten -172, ACC - 156), victories (ACC - 310, Big Ten - 280) and Final Fours (Big Ten - 39, ACC - 38) since the event's inception in 1939. The two leagues have advanced 13 teams to the national semifinals over the past five seasons, including 2005 Challenge participants Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland and North Carolina.

History of the Challenge: The ACC holds a 34-19 advantage in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, claiming the Commissioner's Cup all six years. The six-year records of the Big Ten participants in this annual series are listed to the right.

Challenge Trends: Michigan State and Minnesota are tied for the league lead with three victories in the event . . . In a rematch of last year's NCAA Championship final, Illinois will face North Carolina on Tuesday ... For the second consecutive year, a Big Ten team will take on the No. 1 ranked team in the nation as No. 20/21 Indiana hosts No.1/1 Duke on Wednesday. Last year, Illinois defeated then-No. 1 Wake Forest, 91-73, in Champaign...Home teams are 31-13 in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge (ACC is 18-3, Big Ten is 13-10) . . . The ACC holds a 6-3 edge in neutral site games . . . 31 of the 53 Challenge games played to date have had at least one ranked team playing . . . 18 games have had both teams ranked.

Tournament Recaps: Several Big Ten squads posted impressive performances in tournament action last week. Illinois defeated Rutgers in the championship game of the South Padre Island Invitational, while Wisconsin claimed the Paradise Jam Tournament crown with an 84-81 win over Old Dominion. Iowa defeated No. 7/7 Kentucky, but then fell to No. 2/2 Texas in the championship game of the Guardian Classic on Nov. 22 in Kansas City, Mo. Michigan State closed out its trip to Maui, Hawaii at the EA Sports Maui Invitational on Nov. 23, defeating No. 9/8 Arizona for third place.

All-Tournament Honorees: Five Big Ten student-athletes were named to All-Tournament teams last week. Illinois' James Augustine and Wisconsin's Alando Tucker both earned MVP honors after leading their teams in their respective tournaments last week. Tucker was joined by teammate Kammron Tucker on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament team, while Iowa's Adam Haluska (Guardian Classic) and Michigan State's Maurice Ager (EA Maui Invitational) also picked up All-Tournament accolades last week.

2005-06 Naismith Trophy Preseason List: Eight Big Ten men's basketball student-athletes were listed among the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2005-06 Naismith Trophy, announced on Nov. 22.  The Big Ten's group of honorees included three players from Michigan State in seniors Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Paul Davis. Also earning preseason recognition was Illinois' Dee Brown, Iowa's Greg Brunner and Jeff Horner, Minnesota's Vincent Grier and Wisconsin's Alando Tucker. The 50-player preseason list, which was compiled by the the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, will be narrowed to a midseason top 30 in January and the recipient of the Naismith Trophy will be announced in April at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Indianapolis.

Big Ten's Grand Company: Over the weekend, Illinois' James Augustine and Michigan State's Maurice Ager became the latest members of the Big Ten's 1,000 career point club. Against Rutgers, Augustine posted 18 points to claim his 1,012th career point, while Ager (1,013) tallied 20 points versus IPFW to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Eight seniors entered the 2005-06 season with more than 1,000 career points in Illinois' Dee Brown (1,413), Indiana's Marco Killingsworth (1,101), Iowa's Greg Brunner (1,104) and Jeff Horner (1,151), Michigan's Daniel Horton (1,085), Michigan State's Paul Davis (1,242), Northwestern's Vedran Vukusic (1,173) and Ohio State's Terence Dials (1,113). Wisconsin's Alando Tucker only needs 14 points to become the 11th active Big Ten player to score 1,000 points.

Working Overtime: Last year at this time, Big Ten squads had competed in two overtime contests. This year, in only the second week of action, league teams have played in four overtime matches to boast a 3-1 record. Michigan State posted back-to-back overtime games, falling to No. 8/9 Gonzaga in triple overtime before needing an extra session to down No. 9/8 Arizona the following night at the EA Maui Invitational. Wisconsin needed an extra period to defeat Eastern Kentucky in the early rounds of the Paradise Jam Tournament, while Ohio State claimed a 79-69 overtime victory over Butler on Nov. 22.

Big Ten Coaching Milestones: Two Big Ten mentors are in reach of claiming several coaching milestones during the 2005-06 season. Head coach Mike Davis is just one victory away from becoming the second-fastest coach in school annals to compile 100 wins at Indiana. In his sixth season in Bloomington, Davis has tallied a career record of 99-67 and would join former head coach Bob Knight, who won his 100th game during his fifth season as a head coach (1975-76). Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan will look to become the fifth coach in school history to earn 100 victories after compiling a 97-37 record in his five seasons at the Badger helm.

Protecting Your Home: With Illinois defeating Texas Southern, 93-59, on Nov. 22, the Fighting Illini extended their home winning streak to 24 games,  the fourth-longest streak in the nation (Washington-28, Gonzaga-26; Southern Illinois-25). Illinois was the only league team to go undefeated at home last season and the Illini's last defeat occurred on Jan. 10, 2004 against Purdue. Illinois' 24-game streak still trails the Big Ten record of 53 straight home triumphs set by Michigan State from 1998 to 2002.

Big Ten Tourney in Indy: After a one-year hiatus, the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament returns to Indianapolis to crown the 2006 tournament champion at Conseco Fieldhouse from March 9-12. All-session  and single-session tickets are now on sale to the general public. Tickets for the men's tournament, which includes 10 games over four days, are available at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (317) 239-5151 (in central Indiana). The cost for men's tournament all-session tickets will be either $125 or $225 depending on seat location, while the single-session tickets range from $25 to $75 based on seat location and session. Orders will be limited to 12 all-session tickets or 12 single-session tickets for each session.