After the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament moved from a variety of sites to the state of Indiana recently, the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament has decided to follow a similar path. The Big Ten will be relocating the tournament to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which is ironically also the site of the Big Ten championship game in football.
The tournament will be held from March 10-14. Originally, the tournament was supposed to be held in Chicago, Illinois at the United Center.
Here is the Big Ten statement on the reasoning behind the change:
The decision to relocate the tournament to Indianapolis was based on multiple factors. 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 Big Ten Conference is grateful to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the city of Chicago and our partners at the United Center and the Chicago Sports Commission for their flexibility and to Indiana Sports Corp, Lucas Oil Stadium and the city of Indianapolis for being able to assist our basketball teams during these unprecedented times.
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.
The 2021 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament has officially been relocated to Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium, March 10-14https://t.co/iCKFhgJWa9
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 9, 2021