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College Basketball: 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Matchups Set, Per Report

By Zac Snyder

Dec 3, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; The team benches were temporarily covered with signage for the Big Ten-ACC challenge for the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Michigan State Spartans at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; The team benches were temporarily covered with signage for the Big Ten-ACC challenge for the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Michigan State Spartans at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is one of the marquee events of the college basketball regular season and the matchups are reportedly set for the 2016 edition.

Another piece of the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines basketball schedules have fallen in place with the report of matchups for the 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Michigan State will be on the road at Duke in what will be one of the headlining matchups of the event, while Michigan will host Virginia Tech. Game dates and times have not been announced.

The full slate of games for the 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge is as follows per Rothstein’s report:

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Michigan State at Duke
North Carolina at Indiana
Syracuse at Wisconsin
Pitt at Maryland
NC State at Illinois
Nebraska at Clemson
Iowa at Notre Dame
Virginia Tech at Michigan
Purdue at Virginia
Georgia Tech at Penn State
Rutgers at Miami
Wake Forest at Northwestern
Minnesota at Florida State

Duke has been a nemesis of Michigan State and head coach Tom Izzo. The Blue Devils hold an 8-1 advantage in games against the Spartans under Izzo. Adding to the challenge is that the game is on the road where the Spartans have traditionally struggled in the challenge, going just 1-7 over its history.

Both teams will be re-loading with strong recruiting classes. Duke has the number one 2016 recruiting class according to the 247 Sports composite rankings while Michigan State ranks fourth.

Virginia Tech is currently the only high major team on Michigan’s home non-conference schedule, although another could be added as the schedule is finalized. Michigan’s other big non-conference games take place on the road (at UCLA, at Cincinnati) or at a neutral site (2K Sports Classic with Pittsburgh, SMU and Marquette at Madison Square Garden).

Next: 20 Best NBA Draft Picks from Michigan State

2016 marks the 18th year of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The ACC won the first ten challenges while the Big Ten is unbeaten in the last seven. The 2013 and 2012 challenges ended in a tie with each conference winning six of twelve games.

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