May 24, 2016
The Atlantic Coast and Big Ten Conferences have announced the field for the 2016 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team will have an opportunity to avenge its only loss in the conference-versus-conference competition, welcoming Iowa to Purcell Pavilion on Nov. 29, 2016 (start time to be announced at a later date).
“We are looking forward to the challenge of an NCAA tournament caliber opponent in our building,” head coach Mike Brey said. “Our last two matchups with Iowa were battles right to the end and this game should carry over that same intensity.”
The Irish traveled to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for their first ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 3, 2013, and dropped a hard-fought 98-93 decision. The upcoming Nov. 29 meeting will occur almost one year to the day (Nov. 27, 2015) as Notre Dame’s 68-62 victory over Iowa in the AdvoCare Invitational at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
Notre Dame and Iowa have met 17 times, with the Irish holding an 11-6 advantage in the series. Iowa has not paid a visit to Purcell Pavilion since a 77-68 Irish victory in the Preseason National Invitational Tournament on Nov. 17, 1990. Fran McCaffery, the current Iowa head coach, was an assistant for then-Notre Dame head coach Digger Phelps in that 1990 meeting.
Notre Dame boasts a 2-1 record in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. After the setback at Iowa during Notre Dame’s first season in the conference, the Irish defeated #19/18 Michigan State in overtime in Purcell Pavilion on Dec. 3, 2014, then took down Illinois 84-79 on Dec. 2, 2015, during the Illini’s dedication of the State Farm Center.
The ACC leads the all-time challenge series 10-5-2, but the Big Ten has won the two most recent challenges by identical 8-6 scores.
The 2016-17 Notre Dame men’s basketball schedule continues to take shape, but will not be finalized until late summer/early fall. The team’s ACC opponents for the upcoming season have been announced previously. Notre Dame will face Boston College, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Louisville in home and road games, Clemson, Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia and Syracuse at home, then take the road to Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
The Irish will take part in the inaugural Never Forget Tribute Classic against defending National Champion Villanova on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016 in the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Notre Dame also will join in the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., November, 21-22, 2016.
2016 ACC-Big Ten Challenge Full Line Up:
Iowa at Notre Dame
Michigan State at Duke
North Carolina at Indiana
Syracuse at Wisconsin
Pittsburgh at Maryland
NC State at Illinois
Nebraska at Clemson
Virginia Tech at Michigan
Purdue at Virginia
Georgia Tech at Penn State
Rutgers at Miami
Wake Forest at Northwestern
Minnesota at Florida State
Additional Notes: Notre Dame and Iowa first met on January 3, 2013 at the Iowa City Armory, a 24-23 victory for the Irish ââ’¬¦ Iowa has visited Notre Dame seven times, but only one of those meetings took place in Purcell Pavilion (1990), the previous six all were played in the Fieldhouse ââ’¬¦ the Irish and Hawkeyes have only met four times in the last 55 years ââ’¬¦ the Notre Dame – Iowa series features one of the highest scoring games in school history – the Hawkeyes defeated the Irish 121-106 in the 1970 NCAA Regional Consolation Game at Ohio State’s St. John Arena ââ’¬¦ the 121 points the Hawkeyes scored are one off the Notre Dame opponent record (122 by Indiana in 1962) ââ’¬¦ Austin Carr scored 45 points in the game, while Chad Calabria and John Johnson paced the Hawkeyes with 31 points each ââ’¬¦ current Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery was an assistant coach at Notre Dame under both Digger Phelps and John MacLeod from 1988-99 ââ’¬¦ the 2016 matchup will feature a return to Notre Dame for McCaffery, even more notable is the return to campus for his wife, Margaret (Nowlin) McCaffery ââ’¬¦ Margaret was a standout player for the Irish women’s basketball team from 1988-92, scoring 1,312 points and leading the team to an upset of Xavier in the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1992 ââ’¬¦ Nowlin returned to Notre Dame as an assistant coach for Muffet McGraw during the 1995-96 season ââ’¬¦ Notre Dame is 2-1 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge since joining the ACC in 2013 ââ’¬¦ the Irish were 1-1 in the BIG EAST-SEC Challenge, with both matchups against Kentucky (a 72-58 loss at Freedom Hall in 2010 and a 64-50 win over the #8/8 Wildcats in 2012) ââ’¬¦ rising junior guard Matt Farrell scored a career-high 10 points in the 2015 ACC-Big Ten matchup at Illinois, hitting a career high six free throws (on seven attempts) ââ’¬¦ rising senior Steve Vasturia posted one of his three 20-point performances of 2015-16 at Illinois, shooting 9-14 from the field, 3-5 from three point range for 21 points ââ’¬¦ rising senior V.J. Beachem scored 16 points in the Illinois game last year, including four three-point field goals.