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In Brief: Teams set for next Challenge

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — National runner-up North Carolina, a strong contender for the No. 1 spot in the preseason polls with four starters returning, will play at Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 30.

The two conferences announced Friday the 14 matchups for the 24th edition of the three-day event, which the ACC leads 12-8 with three ties. The Big Ten won 8-6 last season for its third straight win. The ACC has a 144-121 advantage in all games since the genesis in 1999.

The other headliner matchup for Nov. 30 has Ohio State at Duke, which carries the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in new coach Jon Scheyer’s first year.

The four other games on Nov. 30 are Purdue at Florida State, Boston College at Nebraska and Rutgers at Miami and Michigan State at Notre Dame. The latter two matchups feature a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from 2022.

The six-game slate on Nov. 29 features Virginia at Michigan. Syracuse at Illinois, Maryland at Louisville, Penn State at Clemson, Wake Forest at Wisconsin and Georgia Tech at Iowa are the other matchups. On Nov. 28, Minnesota plays at Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh visits Northwestern.

IRVING EXERCISES CONTRACT OPTION

BROOKLYN (AP) — Kyrie Irving has decided to exercise his $36.9 million option for the coming season and will remain under contract with the Brooklyn Nets, a person with knowledge of his decision said Monday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the Nets had not confirmed the decision publicly.

The Athletic first reported Irving’s decision. “Normal people keep the world going, but those who dare to be different lead us into tomorrow. I’ve made my decision to opt in. See you in the fall,” the outlet quoted Irving as saying.

On Twitter, Irving posted a separate statement: “I know who I am,” was the message there. For now, that still means a member of the Nets.

MAKAR WINS CONN SMYTHE

TAMPA BAY, Fla. (AP) — Cale Makar led the Colorado Avalanche in scoring on the way to winning the Stanley Cup. It was no surprise the dynamic defenseman was the unanimous choice for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

“It’s surreal to me,” Makar said. “You grow up, you see that as a kid, you have pictures on your wall. All I could think about was everybody that got me here.”

No one played or produced more for Colorado during this Cup run than Makar, who also won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman during the regular season. The 23-year-old skated 27 minutes a game and led the Avalanche with 29 points in 20 games — more than anyone except Edmonton stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Makar is the second defenseman to win the award over the past three years. He follows Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the back-to-back defending champions eliminated by Colorado in the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night.

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