The Big Ten is adding Minneapolis as the host city for its basketball tournaments starting in 2023.
Minneapolis will host the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament in 2023 and the men’s and women’s tournaments in 2024. All three events will take place at the Target Center of the Women’s Final Four this month. In 2019, Minneapolis hosted the men’s Final Four at U. S. Bank Stadium.
“This is a great opportunity for our Big Ten footprint, our fan base, not only in Minneapolis but also in the state of Minnesota, and nationally and regionally,” Diana Sabau, assistant commissioner and director of Big Ten Sports, told ESPN. “Minneapolis just hosted the Women’s Final Four this year. They recently hosted a men’s Final Four, and they just have a wonderful basketball mentality in town with their two professional teams. So we’re excited to bring this to a new location and give other cities in The Big Ten the opportunity to host our flagship events. “
The Big Ten also announced Wednesday that their championship football game will remain in Indianapolis in 2023 and 2024. The 2022 game had already been announced for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which has hosted each and every Big Ten football championship since the event presented in 2011. . Ten also announced in the past that his 2023 men’s basketball tournament will be held in Chicago at the United Center.
The Big Ten men’s basketball tournament, introduced in 1998, alternated between Chicago and Indianapolis for much of its existence, with Washington in 2017 and New York the following year. The 2017 and 2018 events generated complaints about their locations, namely the New York event, which took position a week earlier than the previous one to host the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.
The women’s basketball tournament, which became an annual event in 1995, was held at the Indianapolis facility for three years. The event was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2001 and in the suburbs of Chicago in 2013 and 2015.
Although the 2023 women’s and men’s tournaments will be held in other cities, Sabau said the league finds it helpful to have both occasions on the same consecutive weekends in March.
“The long term is open to the odds of hosting our tournaments and championship matches, in a competitive bidding procedure that works well for our members and our fan base,” Sabau said.
He added that Big Ten accepted final offers for the most recent cycle of events in spring 2021 before allowing its members to enter the winning venues. The league has submitted proposals for its football championship from several cities of its footprint, adding some with outdoor venues.
“We need to make sure we maintain the paramount fitness and well-being, our championship game for our student-athletes in football, and that was a first concern,” Sabau said. “And then we discuss the pros and cons with our administration. “
The Big Ten has shorter hosting agreements for its soccer and basketball championships, in part to inspire programs from more cities and regions. Indianapolis has not made an offer for big ten tournaments in 2024, as the city hosts the first and final round. of the NCAA tournament at the end of March.
“We are excited to host famous convention occasions such as the Big Ten football championship game and Big Ten basketball tournaments in world-class cities and venues within the convention area,” league Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. “Indianapolis and Minneapolis has a strong history and culture of hosting some of the most productive events in the world in cities that boast an exceptional base of Big Ten Conference alumni and fans. We look to the future to create new memories and reports for our student-athletes, coaches and member institutions, further expanding our fan base, cultivating relationships with the business world and fostering a positive and lasting effect in those cities. “
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