Big Ten moving men’s basketball tournament to Indianapolis, per report

INDIANPOLIS — Next month's Big Ten men’s basketball tournament will move from Chicago to Indianapolis, with games played at Lucas Oil Stadium, according to FOX59.

The games will be played from March 10-14.

With the NCAA Tournament set to begin the following week in Indianapolis, Big Ten teams in the field could stay after the tournament ends, cutting down on travel and bolstering safety protocols.

That move allows the Big Ten to use a centralized testing location for both tournaments, pooling resources and streamlining procedures. It also gives the NCAA a reference point for the two-court setup it plans to employ at Lucas Oil during the NCAA Tournament scheduled for March and early April. 

“I think it makes sense,” Indiana coach Archie Miller said Monday. “It’s practical for the teams that are moving on, and I think Indianapolis being where everything is going to be held would make some sense if that were to happen.”

Such a move would solve a variety of logistical and safety issues, both at the front and back ends of the tournament. Miller cited COVID-19 circumstances and restrictions in Chicago in endorsing a move.

“It protects the teams that are in the tournament, with less travel,” Miller said, “and I think the city of Chicago right now is very difficult to navigate with hotels, social distancing protocols, eating — a lot of things a lot of people probably aren’t thinking about (regarding the conference tournament) that require you to go to a city for multiple days and be together that just (aren’t) doable right now.”

The conference’s women’s basketball tournament already is scheduled to be held in Indianapolis, from March 9-13 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. 

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