The schedule for next year's Big Ten/ACC Challenge is out, and the Badgers have drawn the Duke Blue Devils at the Kohl Center. The game will be televised on the ESPN networks on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Two years ago, the Badgers made the journey down to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke and were blown out, 82-58. The Blue Devils hold a perfect 10-0 record in the challenge and proved they could still be dominant on the road after beating Purdue 76-60 at Mackey Arena last December.
This will only be Wisconsin's fourth home game in the challenge, which is entering its 11th season. Its last home game was against Florida State in 2006, in which the Badgers beat the Seminoles 81-66 behind Alando Tucker's 22 points. The Badgers are 4-6 in the challenge, with a 2-1 home record and a 2-5 mark on the road. Only Michigan State has a better Big Ten/ACC Challenge record than Wisconsin.
Last December, Wisconsin traveled to Virginia Tech, and junior Trevon Hughes' last-second drive and shot gave the Badgers the 74-72 victory. It was one of two wins against the ACC last year for Wisconsin. The Badgers also defeated Florida State 61-59 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, on another heroic play by Hughes.
Over the past 10 Big Ten/ACC Challenges, the Big Ten has had little success. It has yet to defeat the ACC in a given year, although it almost broke through last year, coming within one game of taking the event.
Some other notable matchups for next year's challenge are Michigan State at North Carolina, Wake Forest at Purdue and Illinois at Clemson.
Duke is projected to be a top-10 team next season. The Blue Devils' perfect challenge record being on the line will give Wisconsin a prime opportunity for a marquee win at home.
