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June 18, 2003
Big Ten-ACC Challenge Field Set
Bloomington, Ind. - Indiana will be looking for its third straight Big Ten-ACC Challenge victory when the Hoosiers travel to Wake Forest. The game is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN, as this will be the second straight season that all nine Big Ten-ACC Challenge contests will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2. This is the fifth year of the event, and it will be the first-ever meeting between IU and Wake Forest.
Indiana is 2-0 all-time in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Last season, in a rematch of the 2002 national championship game, the Hoosiers upset then-No. 9 Maryland, 80-74 in overtime at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. On Nov. 28, 2001, IU knocked off North Carolina, 79-66 in Chapel Hill. Overall, Indiana is 24-9 against ACC teams, with wins in six of the last seven games. Five of those six triumphs came against ranked ACC foes.
While Indiana has enjoyed success against ACC teams, the Wake Forest game will mark the Hoosiers' first appearance in Winston-Salem since March 11, 1997, an 80-62 loss to Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
For each of the last five seasons, Indiana's strength of schedule has ranked among the top eight in the nation according to the Sagarin Ratings. The Wake Forest game only solidifies this status.
"We take a lot of pride in a challenging non-league schedule, and going to Wake Forest early in the year is going to be a true test for us," Indiana coach Mike Davis said. "One of the things I wish we had done last year was get some tough road games early. We are certainly doing that this year.
"I have great respect for Coach (Skip) Prosser and the work he has done, both at Xavier and at Wake. They have two talented guards in Justin Gray and (Taron) Downey, so there should be some interesting matchups."
Indiana returns a solid nucleus from last year's 21-13 club that made its 18th straight NCAA Tournament appearance (second-longest active streak in the nation). Guards Bracey Wright (16.2 ppg) and Marshall Strickland were two of the top freshmen in the Big Ten last season. Wright is currently recovering from surgery to relieve nerve pressure in his back and is expected to be at 100 percent by the start of the season. Center George Leach led the league with 2.5 blocks per game, while A.J. Moye and Donald Perry have each played significant roles over the last two seasons.
When it becomes available, ticket information will be posted on Indiana's official athletic website,
http://www.iuhoosiers.com.
2003 ACC/BIG TEN SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 1
7 p.m. ET ESPN2 Northwestern at Florida State
Tuesday, Dec. 2
7 p.m, ESPN, Indiana at Wake Forest
7:30 p.m., ESPN2, N.C. State at Michigan
9 p.m., ESPN, Illinois vs. North Carolina (Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.)
9:30 p.m., ESPN2, Wisconsin at Maryland
Wednesday, Dec. 3
7 p.m., ESPN, Georgia Tech at Ohio State
7:30 p.m., ESPN2, Clemson at Purdue
9 p.m., ESPN, Duke at Michigan State
9:30 p.m., ESPN2, Minnesota at Virginia