Notre Dame-Michigan State Meet In 2017 ACC-Big Ten Challenge

Lou Somogyi, Senior Editor

Fri, Jun 9, 2017, 6:57 AM

USA Today

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For the second time in four years, Notre Dame and Michigan State will meet — at East Lansing, Mich. — in the 19th annual ACC/Big 10 Challenge, per ESPN, the ACC and Big 10. Dates and times for the event in late November are still to be determined.

Since joining the ACC in 2013, the Fighting Irish are 3-1 in the event. They lost their debut at Iowa in 2013 (98-93) but have won the last three, beginning with a 79-78 overtime victory versus the Spartans in 2014 to help propel a marvelous season that included winning the ACC Championship and advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1979.

Notre Dame also won at Illinois in 2015 (84-79) and last Nov. 29 posted a 92-78 conquest of Iowa at home.

The matchup versus the traditional power Spartans is one of several compelling non-conference contests for 18th-year head coach Mike Brey’s program. They include:

• A Nov. 11 trip to DePaul, which will be the first regular-season game held at Wintrust Arena, a 10,000-seat facility at McCormick Place in downtown Chicago. DePaul is moving there after having played at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont since 1980.

• On Thanksgiving week from Nov. 20-22, the Fighting Irish join an eight-team field at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, the 34th edition of what is publicized as the nation’s premier early-season tournament, held in Maui.

The brackets for the three games each team will play are still to be determined, but joining host Chaminade and Notre Dame at the Lahaina Civic Center will be Cal, LSU, Marquette, Michigan, Virginia Commonwealth and Wichita State. Since 2010, Wichita State’s 151 wins are second in the country, and with five returning starters the Shockers are considered Final Four timber this year again after having advanced there in 2013.

Michigan has developed into a top program under head coach John Beilein, including winning the Big Ten Tournament last March, while Cal, LSU and Marquette all signed top-10 caliber recruiting classes this past cycle.

• On Dec. 9 Notre Dame travels to Delaware, where Brey was the head coach from 1995-2000 before coming to Notre Dame. Former Irish point guard and Brey assistant Martin Ingelsby is the second-year head coach of the Fighting Blue Hens.

• A week later on Dec. 16, Notre Dame plays Indiana and its new coach Archie Miller at the annual Crossroads Classic held in Indianapolis.

Dates and times are still to be determined (usually in early September) for the 18-game ACC regular season schedule, but the breakdown of the opponents is:

Home and Away Repeats: Boston College, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State.

Home: Florida State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech.

Away: Clemson, Duke, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest.