June 8, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-- The Penn State men's basketball team will take on North Carolina State in the 19th Annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, ESPN announced Thursday. The Nittany Lions will play the Wolfpack in PNC Arena. The date of the game, tip time and TV designation will be released later this summer.
Penn State and NC State will be meeting in the Challenge for the second time, with the Wolfpack posting an 84-76 win in Raleigh in the 2000 Challenge. NC State leads the all-time series, 16-3, with the last meeting coming in the 2012 Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament.
Directed by head coach Patrick Chambers, Penn State has won three consecutive and seven of its last 10 Big Ten/ACC Challenge games. Last year, the Nittany Lions defeated Georgia Tech, 67-60, in the Bryce Jordan Center, giving Penn State wins over Virginia Tech, Boston College and the Yellow Jackets during the past three seasons. The Nittany Lions hold an 8-8 record in 16 Challenge appearances.
During the 2016-17 season, the Nittany Lions faced three ACC squads, also playing Duke in Tip-Off Tournament, hosted by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and Pittsburgh in the inaugural Never Forget Tribute Classic, in addition to Georgia Tech.
In 2016, the ACC won its first outright Challenge since 2008. The Big Ten had captured the Commissioner's Cup for seven consecutive years prior to last season.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise all 14 games of the event matching top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner's Cup. All 14 games also will be available via WatchESPN.
Penn State's other confirmed non-conference games at this point are all part of the Legends Classic. The Nittany Lions will have home contests against Montana (Nov. 15) and Oral Roberts (Nov. 24) in the Bryce Jordan Center as part of the on-campus series of games. Penn State will join Oklahoma State, Pitt and Texas A&M for a pair of Legends Classic games, Nov. 20-21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Penn State returns all five starters and over 80 percent of its scoring for next season, including top-three scorers Tony Carr (13.2 ppg), Lamar Stevens (12.7) and Shep Garner (12.0). Defensive standouts Mike Watkins and Josh Reaves round out the starting lineup from a year ago and will anchor the Nittany Lions in the upcoming campaign.
Deposits for 2017-18 season tickets can be made by calling 1-800-NITTANY (weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or going to GoPSUsports/tickets.
Penn State in the B1G/ACC Challenge
- 2016- Georgia Tech - W, 67-60
- 2015- at Boston College - W, 67-58
- 2014- Virginia Tech -- W, 61-58
- 2013- at Pittsburgh -- L, 78-69
- 2012- Boston College -- L, 73-61
- 2011- at Boston College -- W, 62-54
- 2010- Maryland -- L, 62-39
- 2009- at Virginia -- W, 69-67
- 2008- at Georgia Tech -- W, 85-83
- 2007- Virginia Tech -- W, 66-61
- 2006- at Georgia Tech -- L, 77-73
- 2005- Clemson -- L, 96-88
- 2004- Did not participate
- 2003- Did not participate
- 2002- at Clemson -- L, 79-70
- 2001- Clemson -- L, 79-66
- 2000- at N.C. State -- L, 84-76
- 1999- Clemson -- W, 85-75
2017 B1G/ACC Challenge Schedule (dates, networks & times will be announced at a later date)
- Penn State at NC State
- Northwestern at Georgia Tech
- Duke at Indiana
- Notre Dame at Michigan State
- Miami at Minnesota
- Boston College at Nebraska
- Michigan at North Carolina
- Clemson at Ohio State
- Louisville at Purdue
- Florida State at Rutgers
- Maryland at Syracuse
- Wisconsin at Virginia
- Iowa at Virginia Tech
- Illinois at Wake Forest