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Big Ten basketball is back in Indianapolis, as the Chicago-based conference tips off its two-week stretch at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday afternoon with the first round of its women’s tournament.
The tournament, which will run through Sunday, will feature 14 of an anticipated 43 Division I college basketball tournament games set for Indianapolis over the next four weeks. The schedule will also feature the Big Ten Conference men’s tournament, the Horizon League men’s and women’s championships, the NCAA Midwest Regional men’s round, the National Invitational Tournament and the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
The women’s Big Ten tourney was last held in Indianapolis in 2022, before moving to Minneapolis for the past two seasons. The Big Ten men’s tournament was last held here in 2021 with games played at Lucas Oil Stadium instead of Gainbridge Fieldhouse due to COVID-19 concerns.
The year before, the men’s tournament saw its games canceled starting on the second day because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s events mark the first featuring the four West Coast teams that the conference added before the start of the 2024-2025 season—the University of Oregon, University of Washington, University of Southern California and University of California Los Angeles.
Patrick Talty, president of the Indiana Sports Corp., said he believes the growth of the conference will pay dividends for Indianapolis over the next two weeks, particularly by giving the city more exposure in West Coast markets and from visiting fans that might have otherwise not been tuned in to the tournament.
We’re super excited that the Big Ten basketball tournament has returned to Indianapolis,” he said. “I’m biased, but I think it’s the best place for it, because basketball means something different here in the state of Indiana. And it’s great, because now there’s a whole new set of fans … that may not have ever had a opportunity to experience a sports event here in Indianapolis.”
Between this week’s Big Ten women’s tournament—an event Talty said could be one of the conference’s most highly attended in its history—and the Work Truck Association’s annual event that draws 15,000 to the city, hotel rooms have grown scarce, and more expensive, downtown.
Limited rooms for most downtown hotels like The Westin, Omni Severin, Hotel Indy and Indianapolis Downtown Marriott all exceed $250 per night throughout the week. The the new upscale InterContinental Hotel on Market Street has rooms with starting prices exceeding $500, while the Aloft Indianapolis—which also opened last month—has rooms at $280.
Talty said he thinks having Big Ten back in Indianapolis is good for the hospitality and restaurant industries, and he added that state sports tourism officials don’t take the relationship with the conference for granted. He said there are constant discussions about how to improve the experience for fans and bringing more central Indiana residents downtown to participate in ancillary events and attend games.
“We’ve really talked to the Big Ten about how we can continually upgrade our hosting,” he said. “We talk to them on a regular basis and and that’s really important that we continue to show them that we care. Having Indy show up for these tournaments is exactly one of those things that helps them realize that people care about basketball here. That resonates with them, and that means something.”
He said the sports corporation will continue to go after big events like the basketball tournaments and the Big Ten Football Championship, but is continuing to look for ways to grow its footprint with the conference through additional events like the indoor track and field championships, which were held at Indiana State Fairgrounds last week.
In addition to the Big Ten women’s tournament and the men’s, which will be held March 12-16 at the fieldhouse, Indianapolis is set to host the Horizon League men’s and women’s semifinals and championship games at Corteva Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Hinkle Fieldhouse will host the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament and the men’s National Invitational Tournament semifinals and finals. The WBIT will be played March 31 and April 2, while the NIT will be March 1 and April 3.
Lucas Oil Stadium will host the NCAA tournament games on March 28 and 30. The city will host the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2026.
“There’s nothing like a live event experience, and people obviously prioritize that,” said Talty. “That’s why supporters came back from the pandemic, and it’s never been stronger. People want to be together and celebrate together, so we’re super excited about that opportunity over the next four weeks with all the college basketball that we’re hosting.”
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For the Men’s NIT, I think you mean April 1st and not March 1st. Also a few cases of double words, like “and and”, in the copy. The Editor or Proof Reader must be having a bad day.