Big Ten announces scheduling, conference tournament format following expansion

The Big Ten conference has confirmed the scheduling and tournament format for the 2024-25 men’s and women’s basketball season on Tuesday afternoon.

The news comes as the conference prepares to add Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC next season, taking the league from 14 teams to 18.

While the tournament will move from 14 teams to 15, the regular season schedule will remain at 20 league games.

“Beginning next season, both the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament fields will expand to 15 teams (from 14), a format that maintains the five-day schedule of the event, provides access to all teams in contention for postseason invitations, and will maintain a double bye for each of the top four seeds while seeds 5-9 will receive a single bye,” the Big Ten said in a statement.

“Both the men’s and women’s conference schedules will remain at 20 and 18 contests, respectively, for each school. This allows for non-conference scheduling flexibility, is consistent with peer schedule formats and maximizes opportunities for NCAA postseason berths. Single-play home/away locations will rotate annually, and two-play opponents will be determined with consideration for competitive balance, geography and rivalries.”

And this is how the B1G tourney bracket will look: pic.twitter.com/FGIX881W5D

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 30, 2024

The Big Ten conference will announce full league schedules later this summer.

“It’s competition. I mean, I’ve always been a coach and player that loves competition,” Mike Woodson said last fall. “The four teams that are coming in are well-coached, talented players, and I think it can do nothing but enhance what we already have. The Big Ten is loaded with great coaches, man, and great players. So I look at it as competition. A lot of work. You got to get your ball clubs ready to play.”

The 2024 Big Ten Tournament is set to take place March 13-17 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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