Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Will Play At North Carolina In 2009 Big Ten/ACC Challenge
4/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 22, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's basketball team will play at North Carolina on Tuesday, Dec. 1 in the 11th-annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The two teams will be meeting for the fourth time in Challenge history, including for the second-straight season. Most recently, the Spartans and Tar Heels met in the 2009 NCAA Championship game at Detroit's Ford Field. Game time and ESPN network designation will be announced at a later date.
"North Carolina could possibly look a lot different than they did a few weeks ago, but regardless, they'll remain one of the elite teams in the country with some great experience coming back from their championship team," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "I have great respect for Roy Williams and his program and look forward to being a part of what promises to be one of the premier non-conference matchups of next season. It will certainly serve as a measuring stick for two programs that want to return to the Final Four next season."
Michigan State and North Carolina met in the inaugural challenge in 1999 as the Spartans defeated the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill behind 31 points from Morris Peterson. The following season, MSU defeated UNC, 77-64, in the Breslin Center. Last year, North Carolina defeated Michigan State, 98-63, at Ford Field on Dec. 3.
"I still fondly remember the last trip to North Carolina," added Izzo. "Coming up with a win at the Smith Center without Mateen Cleaves and the great performance from Morris Peterson was one of the signature victories early in my head coaching career."
Overall, MSU is a Big Ten-best 5-4 in Big Ten/ACC Challenge history. Following the initial two games against North Carolina, a 2001 meeting with Virginia at the Richmond Coliseum was cancelled due to unplayable floor conditions. In 2002, MSU defeated Virginia, 82-75, in East Lansing. The Spartans then lost two games to Duke, 72-50 in 2003 in East Lansing and 81-74 in Durham in 2004. In 2005, Michigan State defeated Georgia Tech, 88-86, in East Lansing. Boston College defeated MSU, 65-58, in Chestnut Hill, Mass., in 2006. In 2007, the Spartans were impressive in an 81-58 win over North Carolina State on Nov. 28.
North Carolina leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 9-3, although the two teams have split a pair of games in Chapel Hill. Five of the all-time meetings have come in the NCAA Tournament.
This is the fifth-straight season that all 11 Big Ten squads will participate in the challenge. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will televise all 11 games, marking the eighth consecutive year that every game will be televised nationally. Since 2000, the two conferences have combined to make 17 Final Four appearances and captured five of the last 10 NCAA Championships.
11th-Annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge
Monday, Nov. 30
Penn State at Virginia
Tuesday, Dec. 1
Maryland at Indiana
Michigan State at North Carolina
Northwestern at North Carolina State
Virginia Tech at Iowa
Wake Forest at Purdue
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Boston College at Michigan
Duke at Wisconsin
Florida State at Ohio State
Illinois at Clemson
Minnesota at Miami
