Pitt is expected to host Purdue in the 2015 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
With the official announcement yet to come, it appears that Pitt will host Purdue at the Petersen Events Center in the 2015 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. GoldandBlack.com, the Purdue Rivals site, first reported the news via Twitter.
Pitt will be participating in the event for the third straight year and the Panthers hold a 1-1 record by beating Penn State back in 2013 while dropping the game against Indiana this past season. All of the games of the event are covered nationally on the ESPN family of networks and a date and time will likely be announced sometime in the coming weeks.
As a draw overall, Purdue appears to be a difficult test for Pitt in the early part of the schedule. The Boilermakers are coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and a 21-13 record overall. From that team, Purdue is returning much of their rotation, including four starters. The Purdue squad will be featured around 7'0" senior center, AJ Hammons, who decided to bypass the NBA and return for one more season. With the success of last season and the return of many of their key contributors, there is considerable top 25 hype for Purdue and it could be a marquee match-up for Pitt in the non-conference schedule.
Like Purdue, Pitt is also returning four starters, though their season was not quite as successful. Still, with returning stars like Jamel Artis and Mike Young and the addition of graduate transfers Rafael Maia and Sterling Smith as well as four-star guard Damon Wilson, Jamie Dixon's club is expected to take a step forward this season and should be a formidable foe for the Boilermakers in November. Pitt played extremely well at home in 2014-15, and having one of their toughest non-conference games at home should be a big advantage for the Panthers. We should expect to find out more about the non-conference schedule throughout the Summer.
