My Two Cents: For One Last Time, It's Indiana vs. North Carolina in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Indiana has a terrific history with North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, winning three of the four meetings. They'll dance one last time on Wednesday night in this event, and it's been a heck of the ride.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It's fair to question how much blue is in the Indiana blueblood conversation these days, but that's certainly not the case with North Carolina, who's won four national championships since Indiana's last in 1987 and played for two others, including last year.

But what can't be questioned is that when Indiana and North Carolina do play each other, it is always must-watch TV. You hear me? I said always, and that includes Wednesday night when the two teams get together at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for what is basically the final game ever in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The game, which starts at 9:15 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN, is a showdown of the preseason favorites to win America's two best college basketball leagues. Indiana was picked to win the Big Ten, and UNC is favored to win the ACC.

 The Hoosiers are ranked No. 10 in the country, and have opened the season with six straight wins. North Carolina, the preseason No. 1 team, is ranked No. 18 now after losing to Iowa State and Alabama last week in Portland, Ore.

And, for one last time, we get to watch them together in this event that's provided an enormous amount of fun for the past quarter century.

This event started in 1999 and Indiana didn't even play it in the first two years. There were only nine ACC teams back then and Bob Knight despised made-for-TV events like this. He had no interest in participating, and they didn't.

Indiana has played in all 21 since then, and are 8-13 overall. They have had great success — over North Carolina — and epic failures. They've played Duke five times, and have lost all five.

It's somewhat ironic that the only team Indiana has beaten more than once in this event is North Carolina. They are 3-1 against the Heels, winning in 2001, 2012 and 2016 with some really good Indiana teams. Their only loss to UNC was in 2004. It was the Sean May game, and that was a Tar Heels team that went on to win an NCAA title that year.

Here's a quick look back at the four meetings: 

Nov. 28, 2001, Indiana 79, North Carolina 66 (Chapel Hill): Indiana's first win was kind of odd considering all that these two schools have accomplished. That UNC team wasn't very good and when the Hoosiers beat them that night, the Tar Heels fell to 0-3 under Matt Doherty, with earlier home losses to Davidson and Hampton. It was the first time since 1928 that North Carolina had started a season with three straight losses. Indiana hit nine first-half three-pointers in the win and AJ Moye led IU with 20 points and Tom Coverdale had 17. IU would play for the national title four months later, losing to Maryland. It's the last time Indiana went to the Final Four.

On This Date - Nov. 28, 2001 - @IndianaMBB got 20 points from @AJ_Moye2 and 17 from Tom Coverdale to lead the way in a 79-66 win over North Carolina in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. The setback dropped UNC to 0-3, marking the first time the Tar Heels started a season 0-3 since 1928. pic.twitter.com/1Oi9vEjwn9

— John Decker (@JYDecker) November 28, 2022

Dec. 1, 2004, No. 9 North Carolina 70, Indiana 63 (Bloomington): Things were getting bad in the Mike Davis by then, with the most obvious failure his inability to recruit Sean May right out of Bloomington. May is the son of Scott May, one of the greatest players in Indiana history, but he spurned the Hoosiers for North Carolina despite growing up and playing high school ball in Bloomington. May only scored eight points that night and was treated rudely by Indiana ''fans.'' He got the last laugh because UNC went on to win a national title a few months later.

Nov. 27, 2012, No. 1 Indiana 83, No. 14 North Carolina 59: Tom Crean had Indiana back on top, with the Hoosiers ranked No. 1 in the preseason. They crushed North Carolina that night, with Cody Zeller scoring 20 points and Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey each adding 19. The Tar Heels opened the second half going 1-for-20 from the field and got their only basket on a deflected tip-in. The Hoosiers would go on to win the Big Ten that year, and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournamen. They lost to Syracuse in the regional semifinals. 

Indiana was ranked No. 1 in the country to start the 2012-13 season, led by Christian Watford (2), Jordan Hulls (1), Cody Zeller (40), Yogi Ferrell (11) and Victor Oladipo (not pictured). They clobbered North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge that year. (USA TODAY Sports)

Nov. 30, 2016, No. 13 Indiana 76, No. 3 North Carolina 67: Indiana had opened the season with a win over No. 3 Kansas and an inexcusable loss at Purdue Fort Wayne that had the Hoosiers fan base incensed. So here came No. 3 UNC, and no one knew what to expect. But the Hoosiers played great, and came away with an impressive 76-67 win. All five Indiana starters scored in double figures, led by OG Anunoby, who had 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Injuries derailed Indiana's season, which ended with an 18-15 record and the firing of Tom Crean.

Here's what Indiana has done all-time in this event.

Indiana Results in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

• Nov. 30, 2021 (A) — Indiana lost to Syracuse 112-110 (2-OT)
• Dec. 9, 2020 (A) — Indiana lost to No. 20 Florida State, 69-67 (OT)
• Dec. 3, 2019 (H) – Indiana defeated No. 17 Florida State, 80-64
• Nov. 27, 2018 (A) — Indiana lost at No. 3 Duke, 90-69
• Nov. 29, 2017 (H) — Indiana lost to No. 1 Duke, 91-81
• Nov. 30, 2016 (H) — No. 13 Indiana defeated No. 3 North Carolina, 76-67
• Dec. 2, 2015 (A) — Indiana lost at No. 7 Duke, 94-74
• Dec. 2, 2014 (H) — Indiana defeated Pittsburgh, 81-69
• Dec. 3, 2013 (A) — Indiana lost at No. 4 Syracuse, 69-52
• Nov. 27, 2012 (H) — No. 1 Indiana defeated No. 14 North Carolina, 83-59
• Nov. 29, 2011 (A) — Indiana defeated N.C. State, 86-75
• Nov. 30, 2010 (A) — Indiana lost at Boston College, 88-76
• Dec. 1, 2009 (H) — Indiana lost to Maryland, 80-68
• Dec. 2, 2008 (A) — Indiana lost at No. 17 Wake Forest, 83-79
• Nov. 27, 2007 (H) — No. 15 Indiana defeated Georgia Tech, 83-79
• Nov. 28, 2006 (A) — Indiana lost at No. 10 Duke, 54-51
• Nov. 30, 2005 (H) — No. 17 Indiana lost to No. 1 Duke, 75-67
• Dec. 1, 2004 (H) — Lost to North Carolina, 70-63
• Dec. 2, 2003 (A) — Lost to No. 16 Wake Forest, 100-67
• Dec. 3, 2002 (N) — No. 10 Indiana defeated No. 8 Maryland, 80-74 in OT, in Indianapolis
• Nov. 28, 2001 (A) — Defeated North Carolina 79-66
• 2000 — Did not play
• 1999 — Did not play
• INDIANA WINS IN BOLD

Indiana in the Challenge

• Total Record: 8-13
• Home Record: 5-4
• Road Record: 2-9
• Neutral Site: 1-0

Indiana Record by Opponent

• Indiana vs. North Carolina: 3-1
• Indiana vs. Pittsburgh: 1-0
• Indiana vs. N.C. State: 1-0
• Indiana vs. Georgia Tech 1-0
• Indiana vs. Florida State: 1-1
• Indiana vs. Maryland: 1-1
• Indiana vs. Boston College: 0-1
• Indiana vs. Syracuse: 0-2
• Indiana vs. Wake Forest: 0-2
• Indiana vs. Duke: 0-5