In the first 10 years of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge no Big Ten team has ever won three straight games.
Monday night in Virginia, the Penn State men's basketball could make history by doing just that.
"It's bragging rights, and it's recruiting rights," coach Ed DeChellis said. "We want to win the challenge, and everybody's got to do their part. Our part is to go try to win one game in Virginia against a good team down there on their home floor."
The Big Ten has never been awarded the Commissioner's Trophy for winning the challenge, but narrowly lost 6-5 last year to the Atlatnic Coast Conference. The 11th Big Ten/ACC Challenge will be headlined Tuesday night by a rematch of last year's national championship when Michigan State visits North Carolina.
In Virginia (4-2), the Nittany Lions (4-2) will face their first true road game of the year, and DeChellis expects the game to help the team. DeChellis said the team has to improve what it's trying to do both offensively and defensively, and the game against the Cavaliers will tell the Lions where they are at this point in the season.
"It's always big to have games on ESPN on national TV, especially against an ACC team," sophomore guard Chris Babb said. "There's nothing better than playing against teams like that, especially early in the season. Games like that get us ready for Big Ten games in January and February."
Babb said the Lions will be rooting for the rest of the Big Ten this week in hopes of winning the challenge. The sophomore said the team is focused on doing its part, and it's up to the rest of the conference to win their games as well.
Junior forward Jeff Brooks said the team is excited to get on the road and try and extend its streak. Playing an opponent from a quality conference means the Lions will have to be on top of their game if they want a win in their first road test.
"It's important for us to get to play better. We've got to play at a different level," DeChellis said. "We've got to play better because it's important for our conference to try and win the Big Ten/ACC Challenge."
While the bulk of the games will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Lions-Cavaliers tilt is the only Big Ten/ACC Challenge game on Monday. The matchup will be televised on ESPN2 at 7 p.m., giving the Lions a chance to show their game in front of a national audience.
After struggling in the Charleston Classic, Penn State defeated Sacred Heart at home last Wednesday, but is still searching for consistency shooting the ball. Going on the road not only allows the Lions to pick up a road win but to also make an impression on the NCAA Tournament Committee.
"I think it goes to trying to build our resume for March. A win like this can really catapult us from being an NIT team to being an NCAA tournament team," Brooks said. "When we go down there, that's gonna be our focus. We need to go down there and that's going to be our focus -- take care of business, come back and go to school Tuesday."
