The annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge will pit the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
On Thursday afternoon, the matchups for the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge were released and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will face off against a foe that they haven’t seen since the 1980s. The Yellow Jackets will take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, lead by former Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg.
Both programs in 2019 missed out on the NCAA Tournament, while the Yellow Jackets in the 2018-19 season went 14-18 last season including a dismal 6-12 in conference play. The Cornhuskers, on the other hand, went just above .500 for the season at 19-17 but struggled in conference play going 6-14.
The two teams will face off against each other on Wednesday, December 4th in Atlanta at McCamish Pavillion. It’s one of two games that are known for the Yellow Jackets 2019-20 schedule so far joining a November 25th matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks, also taking place in Atlanta. The Razorbacks have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in three of the last five years.
The last time these two teams met according to Basketball Reference was all the way back in the 1983-84 season when Bobby Cremins was in his third year as the Jackets head coach. The Cornhuskers at the times were also part of the Big 8. The Jackets would end up taking down the Cornhuskers in that matchup by a final score of 66-49. That 1983-84 team would feature four future NBA players including point guard Mark Price
This upcoming season, Georgia Tech will look to win their second straight ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchup after defeating Northwestern last season by a final score of 52-51. The December 4th matchup will pit two programs looking for huge 2019-20 seasons with a pair of in Hoiberg and Jackets head coach Josh Pastner who will be facing a ton of pressure each next season.