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Clemson to Host Michigan in 2010 ACC/Big Ten Challenge

May 12, 2010

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson men’s basketball team will host Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 30 in the 12th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Time and network designations will be determined at a later date. The three-day event will feature 11 games at various ACC and Big Ten school sites. The ACC has won 10 of the 11 challenges to date.

This will serve as the fourth meeting between the two schools, and first-ever matchup in the event. It will also serve as the first meeting between the two on either school’s home floor, as all three previous matchups have taken place at neutral sites. This will also mark the first time in the history of the event Clemson has played the role of host in consecutive years.

The first meeting took place during the 1987-88 season, when No. 11 Michigan won 93-88 in the South Florida Invitational. The second meeting took place in 1998 at the Maui Invitational, where the Wolverines claimed a 59-56 victory.

The most recent meeting was in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, when Michigan won 62-59 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. Manny Harris led the Wolverines with 23 points, while departed Tiger senior Trevor Booker paced Clemson with a double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds). Andre Young, then a freshman for the Tigers, hit 3-of-5 three-point goals off the bench.

Michigan returns three starters off last year’s team, but loses its top two scorers in Harris, who declared for the NBA Draft, and DeShawn Sims, who graduated. The Wolverines put together a 15-17 overall record in 2009-10, which included a pair of wins over Minnesota and a home triumph over Ohio State, an eventual No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan is coached by John Beilein, who has a 46-53 record in three seasons with the Wolverines. Beilein was the head coach at West Virginia and Richmond prior to his stop in Ann Arbor.

“I know more about Michigan than people realize, because I competed against Coach Beilein’s teams (at Richmond) during my days at UNC Wilmington,” said Brad Brownell, Clemson’s first-year head coach. “I have a lot of respect for him and what he’s been able to do at Michigan. I think they’re going to have a good year, and he’s one of the better coaches in the country.”

Clemson will return three starters next season off a team that won 21 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. The Tigers have to replace leading scorer and rebounder in departed senior Trevor Booker. Clemson is under the direction of Brownell, who is in his ninth year overall as a Division I head coach. He compiled a record of 167-85 in four years at UNC Wilmington and four at Wright State.

Clemson has an 8-3 record in the history of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Tigers have won five out of their last six games in the event, and boast a 4-1 record in home games.

2010 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Schedule

Monday, Nov. 29 Virginia at Minnesota

Tuesday, Nov. 30 North Carolina at Illinois Ohio State at Florida State Michigan at Clemson Georgia Tech at Northwestern Iowa at Wake Forest

Wednesday, Dec. 1 Michigan State at Duke Purdue at Virginia Tech NC State at Wisconsin Indiana at Boston College Maryland at Penn State

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