Women’s Basketball to Play Maryland in 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge
May 25, 2016 | Women's Basketball
The meeting on Dec. 1 marks the fourth in series history.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Two of the most successful women's basketball programs in the last 10 years headline the 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, when Louisville plays host to Maryland on Dec. 1 in the KFC Yum! Center.
The matchup, announced on Wednesday in a joint release by the conferences, marks the first meeting between the schools in regular-season play and fourth overall. The Cardinals and Terrapins, who hold a 2-1 series advantage, last played in the 2014 Elite Eight in Louisville, where Maryland held off a late comeback attempt and won 76-73.
Since 2007, the schools have won a combined 521 games and better than 70 percent of their contests. Also, both have reached the NCAA Tournament in eight seasons and each has advanced to the Final Four twice.
For Jeff Walz, the winningest head coach in Louisville's history with a 234-85 record and two national runner-up finishes in nine seasons, it pits him against the school he left as an assistant and associate head coach to begin his tenure with the Cardinals. Walz, who spent 2002-07 in College Park, helped the Terrapins to the 2006 national title.
The Cardinals capped the 2015-16 campaign with a 26-8 record, going 15-1 in league games, while reaching their sixth-consecutive NCAA Tournament. Louisville returns all five starters from a season ago, led by reigning ACC Player of the Year and All-American Myisha Hines-Allen, who averaged 17.6 points and 8.4 rebounds.
The Terrapins went 31-4 last year, including a 16-2 mark to win the Big Ten regular-season title, return all-conference selections and rising seniors Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones. Walker-Kimbrough averaged 19.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, with a 54.5 percent clip from 3, while Jones produced 15.2 points and 9.8 rebounds.
Both programs were rated in the top 10 in ESPN's early preseason rankings, with Cardinals being selected second and the Terrapins seventh in the poll.
This is the ACC/Big Ten Challenge's 10th season. The ACC owns a 62-46 record in those games and has won the event six times – the other three resulted in ties.
Game times, as well as television coverage, will be announced at a later date.
Last season, the ACC sent nine teams to postseason play, including five in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. Syracuse won five-consecutive tournament contests to advance the NCAA title game for the first time in program history. The Big Ten had 11 teams in postseason play, including five in the NCAA Tournament.
For the latest information on Louisville women's basketball, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLWBB or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLWBB.
2016 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Schedule
Wednesday, Nov. 30
Michigan State at Syracuse
Notre Dame at Iowa
Florida State at Minnesota
Purdue at Pittsburgh
Wake Forest at Illinois
Penn State at Boston College
Thursday, Dec. 1
Indiana at NC State
Nebraska at Virginia Tech
Duke at Rutgers
Maryland at Louisville
North Carolina at Wisconsin
Michigan at Georgia Tech
Virginia at Northwestern
Miami at Ohio State
