Nobody wants to take credit for concocting the actual schedule for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. But you've got to figure the commissioners for both leagues were involved, plus officials at the two off-campus arenas, as well as a number of the leagues' top coaches, a handful of its athletic directors and also the network that will air the games.

From the ACC's standpoint, about the only person we can state with certainty who had nothing to do with the schedule was Curtis Strange.

The schedule of games for the fourth annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge: Monday Florida State 80, Iowa 67 Tuesday Duke vs. Ohio State at Greensboro, N.C. (ESPN, 7 ET) Penn State at Clemson (ESPN2, 7:30 ET) Maryland vs. Indiana at Indianapolis (ESPN, 9 ET) North Carolina at Illinois (ESPN2, 9:30 ET) Wednesday Georgia Tech at Minnesota (ESPN, 7 ET) Northwestern at N.C. State (ESPN2, 7:30 ET) Virginia at Michigan State at Indianapolis (ESPN, 9 ET) Wake Forest at Wisconsin (ESPN2, 9:30 ET)

You remember Strange. He was the captain of the 2002 U.S. Ryder Cup team who chose to save his best players for the end of the final day of singles matches. In hindsight ...

Anyhow, if the ACC loses the Challenge to the Big Ten after winning the first three events, it would be strange -- but not Strange. After Florida State and Iowa open the event Monday night in Tallahassee, Fla., the ACC will send out its version of Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods on Tuesday when Maryland, Duke and North Carolina enter the fray.

Maryland, the defending national champion and ranked No. 8 in Monday's latest USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, plays No. 11 Indiana at Indianapolis in a rematch of the 2002 NCAA title game. Duke, which won the national title in 2001 and is ranked No. 3, plays Ohio State in Greensboro, N.C. North Carolina, which won the Preseason NIT and landed at No. 14 after a year away from the top 25, plays at No. 20 Illinois.

The Big Ten will send out a more balanced lineup, with big guns Indiana and Illinois going out Tuesday followed by Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin on Wednesday. The ACC's Wednesday lineup isn't exactly weak, either: Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Virginia and Wake Forest.

On a team-by-team basis, Indiana probably has more to play for than anyone in the Challenge considering it will be getting another shot at the Terps. So what if both teams suffered heavy losses from graduation (Lonny Baxter, Juan Dixon, Byron Mouton, Dane Fife, Jarrad Odle) and early NBA attrition (Chris Wilcox, Jared Jeffries)? One jersey will say Maryland, the other Indiana, and the head coaches remain the same. That's why Indiana senior forward Jeff Newton has no problem saying there remains some carryover from the 2002 title game.

"This is our revenge," Newton said. "I want us to go hard ... because we owe them something from last year."

The whole Big Ten owes the ACC from the past three years, since the ACC has won each of the first three Challenges. The scores in 1999 and 2000 were five games to four for the ACC, which won last year's Challenge five to three with one game, Michigan State vs. Virginia, canceled because of a wet floor.

There is something at stake, something more tangible than bragging rights or even television ratings. At the end of the season, among the documents the NCAA Tournament selection committee will use to pick the 64-team field, will be a piece of paper that ranks the leagues from top to bottom. Games like these will help determine the rankings of the ACC and the Big Ten, and don't think those league-wide rankings don't matter. Near the end of the selection process, it could be the difference between one league getting five or six teams (more or less) into the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina, for one, would like to pull its weight. The Tar Heels are 0-3 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

"We want the ACC to do well," said UNC coach Matt Doherty. "One of my assistants was saying there is more pride amongst coaches and administrators, league officials, in the ACC than there is in other leagues. I believe that. It doesn't mean we're going to win all these games in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but they are important. After (our) Kansas game, (Georgia Tech coach) Paul Hewitt called to congratulate us. It's a very classy things to do, and it shows as a league we do want to do well."

The Big Ten could have an advantage over the ACC in that at least one of its two teams who won't participate in the Challenge this season, Michigan, looks awful after an 0-4 start. The other Big Ten team not involved, Purdue, is off to a 2-0 start but did go just 13-18 last season (Michigan was 11-18). Meanwhile, the ACC must play every club in its bag, including the shankers at Clemson and Florida State.

Whoever is in it, or isn't in it, graduates of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge have gone on to have much success in the real world of college basketball. Over the past four seasons, 11 of the 16 Final Four teams have come from the two leagues. That includes the last three national champions -- Maryland, Duke and Michigan State -- and almost the fourth, since Duke was heavily favored but lost the 1999 title game to Connecticut.

	Deron Williams and the Illini take a step up in competition Tuesday night against the Tar Heels.

The ACC's Big Three are involved in a trio of fascinating games. (Funny how Duke never plays, say, Northwestern, isn't it?) Along with the Maryland-Indiana rematch, the meetings of Duke-Ohio State and North Carolina-Illinois have beneath-the-surface possibilities.

Ohio State, for one thing, is grateful not to be playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium although Duke is designated as the home team. The Blue Devils didn't lose last season at home, but for the Buckeyes, they will hit the road and play at the Greensboro Coliseum. The crowd still will be pro-Duke -- but the atmosphere won't match Cameron Indoor.

"There is a tremendous difference," Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien said of the two venues. "Certainly, the success Duke has had in Cameron is unparalleled. It is nice to know we are playing ... in Greensboro."

It would be nicer for O'Brien if he knew he would be able to go more than seven-deep against Duke. In the preseason, Duke junior Chris Duhon raised eyebrows around the ACC when he said Duke's second team had enough talent to compete for the league title. Duhon looked pretty good Saturday when the Duke second team, led by J.J. Redick (20 points) and Nick Horvath (16), sparked the Blue Devils' 84-73 victory against UCLA.

"I think this shows the depth of our team," Duhon said, somewhat vindicated.

The depth at Ohio State is another matter. With point guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham (knee) and forward Shun Jenkins (finger) out, the Buckeyes used just seven players in a 54-48 loss Friday to No. 6 Alabama.

"I don't know if I've had one guy play 40 minutes since I've been here," said O'Brien, in his sixth season at Ohio State. "We had three (play 40 minutes against Alabama). I get concerned about guys breaking down."

Three weeks ago, North Carolina looked like the team with the most to be concerned about regarding its game against Illinois. Now, with the Tar Heels off to a stunning 5-0 start, the Illini must be concerned -- especially since they haven't been tested yet. Illinois has beaten Lehigh, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Western Illinois by an average of 38.7 points.

"They're a little different (from Pine Bluff)," Illinois coach Bill Self said. "I'd be really surprised if they don't jump into the top five to seven (in this week's polls). They certainly deserve it, anyway. Nothing against Pine Bluff, but they're not going to get in there this week."

The leap in competition for the Illini is big, but things could be worse. Illinois' lineup includes senior star Brian Cook and fabulous freshman Dee Brown, not Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk.

Gregg Doyel covers college basketball for The Charlotte Observer and can be reached at gdoyel@charlotteobserver.com.