Shades of 2005, anyone?
Next season Michigan State will travel to Chapel Hill, hoping to avenge combined blowout losses of 52 points from last season, including a 17-point drubbing in the title game on April 6.
UNC will play the Spartans for the fifth time since the 2005 Final Four, winning all four of the previous meetings by an average of 20.5 points.
The Tar Heels faced a similar situation the last time they won a title when Illinois visited Chapel Hill in a rematch of the 2005 championship.
Illinois still had Dee Brown, but UNC was a completely different team and lacked its top six players from the title game.
A similar situation should be expected in 2009 with four starters gone from UNC’s lineup and Kaylin Lucas returning for the veteran Spartans.
Duke travels to Madison, Wis., to face the Badgers for the second time in the 11 years of the Challenge. Duke is 10-for-10 in the Challenge, joining Boston College as the only team with a perfect record (3-0).
NC State plays the Northwestern Wildcats at home, and Wake Forest travels to Purdue in one of the marque games.
Georgia Tech will be the odd team out in the Challenge. After finishing last in the ACC regular season, the Yellow Jackets did not qualify to play one of the Big Ten’s 11 teams.
Monday, Nov. 30
Penn State at Virginia
Tuesday, Dec. 1
Maryland at Indiana
Michigan State at North Carolina
Northwestern at N.C. State
Virginia Tech at Iowa
Wake Forest at Purdue
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Boston College at Michigan
Duke at Wisconsin
Florida State at Ohio State
Illinois at Clemson
Minnesota at Miami
