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The B1G has confirmed that it will move the location of the 2021 men’s conference basketball tournament from Chicago to Indianapolis. After a few weeks of speculation that the tournament would be relocated, the conference finally made the announcement official.
Indianapolis will now be the host city for the men’s and women’s B1G Tournament and will also host the entire NCAA March Madness tournament later this spring. The goal has been to eliminate as much travel as possible and optimize the testing that can be done.
Games for the B1G Tournament will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. Typically, Bankers Life FieldHoise is the host cite for the event in Indy.
Below is the statement from the B1G:
The Big Ten Conference Administrators Council, which includes the Directors of Athletics and Senior Women Administrators from all 14 member institutions, approved measures to relocate the 2021 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament from the United Center in Chicago to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. 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. 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 B1G men’s basketball tournament is scheduled for March 10-14. The event will return to Chicago’s United Center for the 2023 tournament.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB