May 17, 2011

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern will travel to Georgia Tech Tuesday, Nov. 29 as part of the 13th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge Presented by Dick's Sporting Goods.

It is the second straight year that the Wildcats and the Yellow Jackets are squaring off in the Challenge. Northwestern cruised to a 91-71 victory in the first-ever meeting between the teams Nov. 30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The game will serve as a homecoming for guard JerShon Cobb, a native of nearby Decatur, Ga.

The addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten Conference increases the number of games in the Challenge to 12. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com will combine to televise all 12 games of the two-day event. Game times and television designations will be released at a later date.

Northwestern is slated to return four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's squad which went 20-14, including 7-11 in Big Ten play. The Wildcats advanced to the quarterfinal round of the National Invitation Tournament, the teams third consecutive postseason appearance.

Georgia Tech posted a 13-18 overall record and a 5-11 mark in ACC play during the 2010-11 campaign. The Yellow Jackets are set to begin their first season under new head coach Brian Gregory who served as an assistant coach at Northwestern during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons.

Northwestern is 5-7 in its first 12 Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchups, including wins each of the last three years. Prior to the 2010-11 season, the only Big Ten team to win Challenge games in three consecutive years was Penn State. Ohio State and Wisconsin joined NU this year in adding to that list.

The Wildcats' win over the Yellow Jackets in 2010 helped the Big Ten earn the Commissioner's Cup with the Challenge victory for the second consecutive season.

2011 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Schedule
Tuesday, November 29
Northwestern at Georgia Tech
Miami at Purdue
Illinois at Maryland
Michigan at Virginia
Clemson at Iowa
Duke at Ohio State

Wednesday, November 30
Indiana at North Carolina State
Penn State on Boston College
Florida State at Michigan State
Virginia Tech at Minnesota
Wake Forest at Nebraska
Wisconsin at North Carolina

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!