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Maryland Basketball: Terps draw Pittsburgh in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

By Chris Bengel

Dec 1, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) dribbles as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Nate Britt (0) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Terrapins 89-81 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 1, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) dribbles as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Nate Britt (0) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Terrapins 89-81 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The ACC/Big Challenge is one of the most intriguing nonconference weeks of the college basketball season.

On Monday, it was learned that Maryland will host Pittsburgh in the 2016 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, according to CBSSports’ Jon Rothstein. This will mark the third season that the Terrapins have taken part in the event as a Big Ten school.

According to Rothstein, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge also features Michigan State/Duke, North Carolina/Indiana, and Purdue/Virginia.

In the two previous seasons, Maryland has faced marquee ACC opponents in North Carolina and Virginia. The Terps dropped both contests, including an 89-81 decision to the Tar Heels last December.

During the 2013-14 season (Maryland’s final campaign in the ACC), the Terps dropped both contests to the Panthers by 79-59 and 83-79 decisions respectively. That was the only season that the two teams played in the same conference.

Pittsburgh joins a list of a few marquee opponents that are already on Maryland’s nonconference slate. Maryland will face Georgetown once again in the Gavitt Games in November at the Verizon Center.

The Terps also will take on Towson in November.

Based on the three ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups listed above, Maryland seems to have gotten the short end of the stick. When Maryland was a member of the ACC, the conference insisted on trying to create a rivalry between the two schools, but fans never seemed to acknowledge it.

Maryland did get a nice reunion game with North Carolina, but a matchup with Duke is what many are yearning for.

Next: Maryland Lacrosse: Terps top Syracuse

Maryland and Duke was the rivalry game that Terp fans always looked forward to the most. While it’s nice to see the Terps facing the Hoyas again, getting the Blue Devils back on the schedule once a year would really get the juices flowing.