Minneapolis added as host site for Big Ten basketball tournaments

Minneapolis will be the host city for the Big Ten's basketball tournaments.

Minneapolis will host the Big Ten women's basketball tournament in 2023 and the men's and women's tournaments in 2024. The Target Center is the site of the women's Final Four. Minneapolis hosted the men's Final Four in 2019.

This is a huge opportunity for our Big Ten footprint, our fan base, not only in Minneapolis but the state of Minnesota, and nationally and regionally, according to Diana Sabau, the Big Ten's deputy commissioner and chief sports officer. They hosted a recent men's Final Four, and they have a great basketball mentality with their two professional teams. We are excited to bring that to a new location and to give other Big Ten cities the chance to host our marquee events.

The football championship game will stay in Indianapolis for the next two years. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis has hosted every Big Ten football championship since the event launched in 2011. The Big Ten will hold its basketball tournament in Chicago in 2023.

The Big Ten men's basketball tournament has alternated between Chicago and Indianapolis for most of its existence, with Washington and New York hosting in the following years. The Big East tournament in New York was held a week earlier than usual, drawing criticism for its location.

The women's basketball tournament has been held at different sites in Indianapolis for the last three years. The event was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2001 and suburban Chicago in 2013).

The league sees value in having both the men and women tournaments at the same site on back-to-back weekends in March.

The future is wide open for possibilities of where our tournaments and championship games could be held, based on a competitive bidding process that works well for our memberships and our fan base.

She said that the Big Ten accepted final bids for the most recent cycle of events in the spring of 2021. The league received proposals for its football championship from several cities in its footprint.

We want to make sure that we keep health and welfare paramount, our championship game for our football student-athletes, and so that was a first concern.

The Big Ten wants shorter host agreements for its football and basketball tournaments in order to encourage more bids from more cities and regions. Indianapolis did not bid on the Big Ten tournaments in 2024, as the city is hosting the NCAA tournament first and second rounds later that March.

The Big Ten football championship game and the Big Ten basketball tournaments will be held in world-class cities within the conference footprint. 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.