Aug. 7, 2012
Penn State has won four of its last five ACC/Big Ten Challenge games
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; AUG. 7, 2012 - Penn State's 2012 ACC/Big Ten Challenge clash with Boston College on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in the Bryce Jordan Center has been slated for a 9:15 p.m. tip on ESPNU. The Nittany Lions' second-straight Challenge clash with the Eagles will be the second-to-last game of the 2012 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by DICK's Sporting Goods, played Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 27 and 28.
All 12 games in the 14th annual staging of the Challenge between two of the most successful college basketball conferences will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Games will also be available via WatchESPN, which delivers live access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 on PCs, smartphones and tablets to fans who receive ESPN's linear networks as part of their video subscription from Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV.
The B.C. game is the second announced appearance for Penn State on an ESPN network for the 2012-13 season. The Lions will also face ESPN.com preseason No. 6 North Carolina State on ESPN2 in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Nov. 15. The Lions made eight appearances on ESPN networks last season.
The 2012 Challenge involves nine teams ranked in the ESPN.com preseason top 25, including five of the top nine: No. 1 Indiana, No. 5 Michigan, No. 6 North Carolina State, No. 8 Ohio State and No. 9 Michigan State. Six Big Ten teams and three ACC teams appear in ESPN.com's preseason poll, including No. 22 Wisconsin and No. 25 Minnesota from the Big Ten and No. 13 North Carolina and No. 15 Duke from the ACC. Eleven teams between the two conferences played in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Penn State has won four of its last five Challenge games, including a 62-54 victory at B.C. in last year's Challenge. Returning Nittany Lion guards Tim Frazier (Houston, Texas) and Jermaine Marshall (Etters, Pa.) both scored 22 points in that victory as Penn State claimed its third-straight victory in a Challenge road game and handed the Eagles their first-ever Challenge loss in six contests. Frazier scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half to lead the Lions back from a 29-26 halftime deficit. Marshall scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half and added eight rebounds on the night.
Penn State holds a 5-6 record in 11 Challenge appearances and ranks sixth among Big Ten teams with five Challenge wins. The Big Ten won the Challenge for the third-straight year in 2011 as the conference posted a dominating 8-4 tally. It was the Big Ten's largest-ever winning margin, equaling the most number of wins for a conference in the series. The ACC also won eight games in 2006 and 2007 and won the initial 10 Challenges.
Penn State is 6-6 all-time vs. Boston College. B.C. returns team MVP Ryan Anderson from a team that posted a 9-22 record last year, but won ACC games vs. Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Virginia Tech.
Tipoff times and television arrangements announced for the 2012 ACC/Big Ten Challenge presented by DICK's Sporting Goods are as follows (ESPN.com preseason rankings):
Tuesday, Nov. 27
Iowa at Virginia Tech, ESPNU, 7:15pm ET
(25) Minnesota at Florida State, ESPN2, 7:15pm ET
(6) NC State at (5) Michigan, ESPN, 7:30pm ET
Maryland at Northwestern, ESPN2, 9:15pm ET
Nebraska at Wake Forest, ESPNU, 9:15pm ET
(13) North Carolina at (1) Indiana, ESPN, 9:30pm ET
Wednesday, Nov. 28
Virginia at (22) Wisconsin, ESPN2, 7:00 pm ET
Purdue at Clemson, ESPNU, 7:15pm ET
(9) Michigan State at Miami, ESPN, 7:30pm ET
Georgia Tech at Illinois, ESPN2, 9:00 pm ET
Boston College at Penn State, ESPNU, 9:15pm ET
(8) Ohio State at (15) Duke, ESPN, 9:30pm ET
For all the latest information, notes, pictures and related links on Penn State basketball follow Associate Athletic Communications Director Brian Siegrist (@PSUSTRETCH) and Penn State basketball (@PennStateMBB) on Twitter and check GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatebasketball.
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