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The Big Ten Football Championship Game is staying in a familiar place, while the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will have a new place to call home very soon.
The Big Ten Conference announced on Wednesday the football championship will stay put at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis through 2024, while the men’s and women’s hoops tourneys will be heading to Minneapolis to play at the Target Center. The women will play there first in 2023 — next season — and the men will join them the following season in 2024.
“We are thrilled to bring marquee conference events such as the Big Ten Football Championship Game and the Big Ten Basketball Tournaments to world-class cities and venues within the conference footprint,” said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren. “Indianapolis and Minneapolis each have a strong history and tradition of hosting some of the world’s premier events in cities that feature an exceptional base of Big Ten Conference alumni and fans. We look forward to creating new memories and experiences for our student-athletes, coaches, and member institutions, further expanding our fanbase, cultivating relationships with the business community, and fostering a positive and lasting impact on these cities.”
Lucas Oil Stadium has been the home for the Big Ten Championship since its inception in 2011. The Michigan Wolverines, which made it there for the first time last season, helped set the attendance record for the Big Ten Championship with 67,183 fans in 2021. It was the third-largest crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium ever, behind Super Bowl XLVI and the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship.
The women’s basketball tournament has been in Indianapolis since 2015, but will be changing venues to Minneapolis starting next season.
Next season’s men’s basketball tournament will be held in Chicago at the United Center. The men’s tournament has been hosted by four different cities over the past six seasons — Washington D.C. (2017), New York City (2018), Chicago (2019) and Indy (2020-22).