MADISON, Wis. – If things work according to plan, the University of Wisconsin will have an extended stay in Indianapolis next month.
The Big Ten announced Tuesday it will move next month’s conference tournament from the United Center in Chicago to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The move comes after the NCAA announced Jan.11 that all rounds of the men’s basketball national tournament will be played in Indiana; most of the sites are in or around Indianapolis.
The Big Ten Conference Administrators Council, which includes the Directors of Athletics and Senior Women Administrators from all 14 member institutions, approved the measures. The decision to relocate the tournament was made in collaboration with the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors and the conference office.
“The decision to relocate the tournament to Indianapolis was based on multiple factors,” the conference said in a statement. “First and foremost was the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, officials and conference constituents. Hosting both the men's and women's basketball tournaments in the same city allows for cohesive testing and medical protocols for both events, as well as centralized accommodations surrounding the competition venues.
“The United Center and the city of Chicago have played a vital role in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament over the past two decades and the conference looks forward to the tournament returning to the United Center in 2023.”
Athletic director Barry Alvarez hinted at the move during an athletic board meeting last week, adding that teams that qualify for the NCAA tournament will remain in Indianapolis at the same hotel following the conclusion of the conference tournament.
The Big Ten tournament is scheduled March 10 through March 14. The NCAA tournament is scheduled to begin with First Four games March 18. The first and second rounds run March 19 through 22, Sweet 16 games are scheduled for March 27 and 28 and the Elite Eight on March 29 and 30.
The Final Four is at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 3 and 5.
Although it is 4-4 over the last eight games, No.19 Wisconsin (14-6, 8-5 Big Ten) sits in good position to make the field with a NCAA NET ranking of 19. The Badgers are 8-6 this season in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games according to the NET rankings. Wisconsin also owns seven wins over the KenPom top-50 teams.
Prolonged road trips have become a norm for Big Ten teams this season, as athletic departments look to save costs during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Following a Tuesday road game at Michigan, the Badgers flew directly to New Jersey for their Friday night game against Rutgers. The Badgers did the same thing last week between their road games at Maryland and Penn State, except the team bused three hours from College Park to State College.
Senior Micah Potter called the road trips “a mini vacation” and a “great practice run for what’s going to happen for the NCAA tournament.”
“The big thing is we’ve got to make sure guys are staying locked in,” he said. “When you’re going on long road trips, it’s easy to get away from your focus and all that kind of stuff. The biggest thing is just making sure guys are mentally prepared and physically prepared. We don’t have as much access to treatment facilities on the road as we would if we were at home. So, making sure guys are taking care of their bodies as much as they can and staying locked in as much as they can.”
