July 14, 2011

PARK RIDGE -- The Big Ten Conference announced Northwestern will face Missouri in the second-annual Big12/Big Ten Challenge, with the dates, times and television information to be released in the coming months. The Wildcats will travel to Columbia on either Dec. 3 or Dec. 4.

The inter-conference series began in 2010 and features a home-and-home format over a two-year agreement. Texas Tech will represent the Big 12 in two games, while Big Ten member Nebraska will sit out in 2011 due to the uneven number of teams among the two conferences. Last season, the Big Ten claimed the inaugural challenge, 7-5.

The 2011 Challenge will be played Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4, with the exception of two games - Michigan State at Texas (Dec. 10) and Texas Tech at Illinois (Dec. 17). The Big 12 will have six home games, while the Big Ten has five home contests in 2011. This year's series will be referred to as the Big 12/Big Ten Challenge.

The matchup with the Big 12 is the second inter-conference series for the Big Ten, who also competes against the ACC in an annual showdown. The matchups for the fifth annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge were announced in May, with the Wildcats pitted against NC State.

Matchups for 2011 Big 12/Big Ten Challenge can be found below. Details will be forthcoming.

2011 Big 12/Big Ten Challenge
Baylor at Minnesota
Iowa State at Michigan
Wisconsin at Kansas
Iowa at Kansas State
Northwestern at Missouri
Ohio State at Oklahoma
Penn State at Texas Tech
Texas A&M at Purdue
Oklahoma State at Indiana
Michigan State at Texas
Texas Tech at Illinois

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