Big Ten to expand conference schedules next season

Big Ten basketball came to the Big Apple on Thursday for media day and a look at Madison Square Garden, where the conference will hold its tournament in March.

“This is the mecca of basketball,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “It always has been. And I think it always will be.”

The Big Ten will make its conference tournament debut at the Garden. The championship game, traditionally played on selection Sunday, will be played a week earlier on March 4. The Big East already had MSG booked for the following week.

“It’s made the schedule a little bit funky, a little bit different. But that’s OK,” Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said. “Anybody who’s played in this building knows the opportunity that it presents and how special it is to play here. And sometimes you got to sacrifice a little bit.”

The shift means playing conference games in December, which is about to become the norm. The Big Ten announced Thursday it is increasing league schedules to 20 games in men’s basketball and 18 in women’s basketball, starting in the 201819 season.

Big Ten men’s teams currently play 18 conference games and the women’s teams play 16.

“The idea behind the 20game schedule is to hopefully get more teams in the NCAA Tournament,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. “Data showed when we went from 16 to 18 we started getting more in.”

The coaches backed the expanded league schedule, but there is some concern about how it will impact nonconference games.

“We’ve got a pretty full plate, normally,” said Wisconsin coach Greg Gard, whose team typically plays in-state rival Marquette along with a preseason tournament and the ACC/Big Ten challenge. “And now you add two more conference games, obviously, Power Five games. And you have to make a decision on what you’re going to substitute out.”

Michigan State has typically packed its early season schedule with powerhouse nonconference opponents.

“You know, I had reluctance when it went to 18, to be honest with you,” Izzo said. “And then it’s kind of worked out.”

A 14-team conference was creating imbalanced schedules that could impact the conference standings.

“But I’ve also been a big fan of the truest champion you could have, and I think that when you’re only playing 16 and an 18, sometimes the schedule determines some of the championships over the performance on the court,” Izzo said. “This gives us the better chance to have the performance on the court do it.”

Under the new format, men’s teams will play seven opponents twice and six teams once, splitting the single matchups evenly between home and away. In-state rivalries Illinois-Northwestern, Michigan-Michigan State and Indiana-Purdue will be played twice annually, and regional rivalries will be emphasized when determining home-and-home opponents.

The women’s schedule will include five opponents playing twice, eight once and also emphasize state and regional rivalries.