May 1, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland women's basketball team will take on Big Ten Tournament Champion Purdue in the 2008 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten officials announced Thursday. The Terps travel to West Lafayette, Ind., on Thursday, December 4.
The ACC/Big Ten Women's Basketball Challenge matches 11 teams from each conference in head-to-head competition traditionally on the first Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after Thanksgiving, following the men's basketball ACC/Big Ten Challenge. In its first year on the women's side, the ACC dominated the Big Ten in 2007, winning eight of the 11 matchups, which were spread outside the traditional timeframe. The Terps easily defeated Ohio State, 77-53, at Comcast Center in November. The Buckeyes tied for the Big Ten's regular season title.
The Boilermakers were 19-15 last season, capturing the Big Ten's tournament crown. They advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to eventual national champion Tennessee. Purdue lost to North Carolina, 90-72, earlier in the season in the Challenge.
The Terps lead the all-time series with Purdue, 2-1, with the last meeting coming in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. It will be the first meeting between the squads on either teams' home court.
The Big Ten and ACC offices determine the 11-game schedule each season, and matchups may repeat from year-to-year in efforts to coordinate similar opponents. Each of the Big Ten's 11 institutions will participate, while the ACC will select its top 11 teams from the previous season from its 12-team membership.
The schedule tips off on Wednesday, Dec. 3 with Michigan State traveling to Georgia Tech, North Carolina traveling to Ohio State and Florida State hosting Penn State. It continues on Thursday, Dec. 4 as Northwestern heads to Clemson, Virginia goes to Illinois, Boston College visits Minnesota and Virginia Tech takes on Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc., while Duke hosts Iowa. The event closes on Friday, Dec. 5 with NC State and Michigan clashing in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Indiana heading to Miami.
The Big Ten and ACC have long been among the most dominant conferences on the women's basketball scene. This past season, the ACC was represented by six teams in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, making it the sixth straight year the league has had at least six in the Big Dance. The Big Ten sent a conference-record nine teams to the 2008 postseason, including four squads to the NCAA Championship.
Maryland was 33-4 in 2007-08, going 13-1 in the ACC, tying for the best mark in league play in school history. Ranked fifth in the final Associated Press poll and seventh in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll, the Terrapins advanced to their second NCAA Elite Eight appearance in three years.
Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2008-09 campaign. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.umterps.com or by calling the Comcast Center Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.
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