Big Ten/ACC Challenge: Wisconsin Badgers to tip off opening night of annual event

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge is highly regarded as the top non-conference event in college basketball. Wisconsin is slated to play Virginia on the road.

We found out not long ago who the Wisconsin Badgers would be playing in the 19th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. We now know the date the Badgers will take on the Virginia Cavaliers on the road.

With the prestigious annual college basketball event tipping off on Monday, November 27th, why not have a great matchup between the Badgers and Cavaliers be the night-cap of the opening night.

Tony Bennett’s Virginia squad will play host to Greg Gard’s Badgers to help tip-off the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Wisconsin holds a 9-9 record in the challenge, winning just three of those on the road. The Badgers are currently riding a two game winning streak having defeated Syracuse the last two seasons.

Virginia on the other hand boasts an 11-6 record, going 6-2 on their home court. The Cavaliers are riding a three game challenge winning streak, having defeated Ohio State the past two years and Maryland in 2014.

Wisconsin and Virginia have faced each other twice in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, once in Madison once in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers got the best of Wisconsin in 2012, defeating the Badgers 60-54 at the Kohl Center. One year later, it was the Badgers who bested the Cavaliers on their home floor, 48-38, at John Paul Jones Arena.

With a few good matchups this season, Wisconsin and Virginia provide one of the best. Bennett is a Wisconsin native that has taken the Virginia basketball program to new heights with their pesky defense and emphasis on fundamentals. Gard is no slouch either. Also a Wisconsin guy, he’s taken over seamlessly for Bo Ryan and has this program headed on the right track.

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All 14 games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. Times will be determined at a later date.