UofL will face Michigan in 2019 Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 3

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville men’s basketball team will face Michigan in the 21st Annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge in the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 3. The game time and television network will be announced at a later date.

Ranked eighth nationally in the final Associated Press poll, Michigan achieved a 30-7 record during the 2018-19 season, its second straight 30-win season and just the fifth in program history with as many victories.  The Wolverines were the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament West Region and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year, becoming one of four schools with trips to the Sweet 16 in each of the past three seasons.  Michigan is ranked 13th in Athlon Sport’s early college basketball Top 25.

Louisville has won three of its five previous challenge events since joining the ACC, including an 82-78 home overtime victory over No. 9 Michigan State in last year’s event.  The Cardinals beat No. 14 Ohio State 64-55 in Louisville in the 2015 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, fell 71-67 at No. 3 Michigan State in 2015, prevailed 71-64 over No. 15 Purdue in Louisville in 2016 and lost 66-57 at Purdue in 2017. 

UofL has won three of its four prior matchups against Michigan. In the last matchup, seventh-seeded and No. 23-ranked Michigan prevailed 73-69 over No. 2 seed Louisville in the NCAA Tournament Second Round in Indianapolis, Ind. (3-19-17).  Louisville overcame a 12-point first-half deficit and prevailed 82-76 over Michigan in the 2013 NCAA Championship game in Atlanta, Ga. (4-8-13; later vacated). Luke Hancock, who would be named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, scored 22 points off the bench, hitting all five of his three-point attempts, to lead the Cardinals.

In the other two meetings, the Cardinals knocked off top 10-ranked Michigan in consecutive seasons. Louisville defeated sixth-ranked Michigan 86-84 in Louisville, Ky. (12-6-78) as Bobby Turner had 26 points for the Cardinals and Darrell Griffith added in 25 points. Louisville won the first meeting at Michigan, beating the ninth-ranked Wolverines 88-86 (12-7-77).

The Cardinals have been ranked among the nation’s top teams in multiple early rankings by national outlets, including the following:  No. 2 by Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports; No. 3 by Jeff Goodman, WatchStadium.com; No. 4 by Gary Parrish, CBSSports.com; No. 4 by Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated; No. 5 by Jeff Borzello, ESPN.com; No. 5 by Seth Davis, The Athletic; No. 5 by Rob Dauster, NBCSports.com; No. 6 by Mike Rutherford, SB Nation; No. 6 by Kyle Kensing, Athlon Sports; No. 8 by David Kenyon, Bleacher Report; and No. 11 by Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News.

Last season, Louisville achieved a 20-14 record against the nation’s fourth-toughest schedule and participated in its 39th NCAA Tournament.  Picked in the preseason to finish 11th in the ACC, UofL attained a 10-8 conference record and earned a tie for sixth in the final regular season standings.  The Cardinals will return six of their top seven scorers from last year and welcome at top 10 recruiting class.

Fourteen teams in the Challenge competed in the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship: Final Four teams Michigan State and Virginia (NCAA Champion), Elite Eight teams Duke and Purdue, Sweet 16 teams Florida State, Michigan and North Carolina, as well as early-round teams Iowa, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, Syracuse and Wisconsin.  Seven of the top 15 teams in ESPN’s 2019-20 Way-Too-Early Top 25 are playing in the Challenge, including No. 4 Duke, No. 5 Louisville, No. 6 North Carolina and No. 14 Virginia from the ACC.

2019 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Schedule

Monday, December 2

Miami at Illinois

Clemson at Minnesota

Tuesday, December 3

Michigan at Louisville

Duke at Michigan State

Iowa at Syracuse

Florida State at Indiana

Rutgers at Pittsburgh

Northwestern at Boston College

Wednesday, December 4

Virginia at Purdue

Ohio State at North Carolina

Notre Dame at Maryland

Wisconsin at NC State

Nebraska at Georgia Tech

Wake Forest at Penn State

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@UofLSheriff50. Louisville native, University of Louisville Business School Grad c/o 2004. Co-Founder of TheCrunchZone.com

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