Nov. 29, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Nov. 29, 2009 - The Nittany Lion basketball team will look to make Big Ten/ACC Challenge history on Monday when Penn State (4-2) takes on Virginia (4-2) at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. The game will tipoff the 11th Annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge and will air live on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. It can also be heard on the Penn State Sports Network with the "Voice of the Nittany Lions" Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi once again teaming up to call the action. The game will air locally on ESPN Radio 1450 WQWK.
Coming off a sizzling 63.8 percent shooting performance in its last outing, Penn State will look to become the first Big Ten team to post wins in three consecutive seasons in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The ACC has won the Challenge each of the previous 10 seasons, sneaking by with a 6-5 edge last year. Penn State has won at Georgia Tech and at home vs. Virginia Tech in its last two Challenge games.
Michigan State had a chance to become the first Big Ten team to win in three straight years, but saw its game vs. Virginia in 2001 suspended at halftime due to unplayable conditions at the Richmond Coliseum. Virginia was leading at the time. The Spartans returned to win in the Challenge in 2002. Duke leads all ACC teams having won in all 10 seasons of the Challenge.
Penn State will be led by junior guard Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y) who is third in the Big Ten averaging 18.2 ppg. Fellow junior David Jackson (Farrell, Pa.) is coming of a career-best 26-point performance and ranks second on the team with 11.2 ppg.
Virginia is coming off a 1-1 outing at the Cancun Challenge, falling to Stanford and defeating Cleveland State. The Cavs, unbeaten at home (3-0), are led by 6-6, guard Sylven Landesberg who averages 16.2 ppg and 4.7 rpg. The Cavs are shooting nearly 47 percent on the year and are averaging 69.5 ppg.
The two teams have not met since Virginia claimed a 66-54 victory at the 1984 Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans. The Cavs have won the last four meetings and own a 5-2 lead in the series.
Penn State is 3-5 overall in Big Ten/ACC Challenge games and 1-3 in games played away from the Jordan Center.
2009 Big/ACC Ten challenge Schedule
Monday, Nov. 30
Penn State at Virginia, 7 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Tuesday, Dec. 1
Wake Forest at Purdue, 7 p.m. EST, ESPN
Maryland at Indiana, 7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Northwestern at North Carolina State, 7 p.m. EST, ESPNU
Michigan State at North Carolina, 9 p.m. EST, ESPN
Virginia Tech at Iowa, 9:30 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Illinois at Clemson, 7:15 p.m. EST, ESPN
Boston College at Michigan, 7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Minnesota at Miami, FL, 7:15 or 7:30 p.m. EST, ESPNU
Duke at Wisconsin, 9:15 p.m. EST, ESPN
Florida State at Ohio State, 9:30 p.m. EST, ESPN2
-NITTANY LIONS-