Big Ten moves men’s basketball tournament to Lucas Oil Stadium

The Big Ten men’s basketball tournament will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the conference announced Tuesday.

It was previously supposed to be held at the United Center in Chicago. The games will still run March 10-14.

“The decision to relocate the tournament to Indianapolis was based on multiple factors,” the conference said in a statement. “First and foremost was the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, officials and conference constituents. Hosting both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in the same city allows for cohesive testing and medical protocols for both events, as well as centralized accommodations surrounding the competition venues.”

The move also puts teams in Indiana right before the NCAA Tournament, which the NCAA announced in January would take place at several sites around the state.

The Big Ten women’s basketball tournament will occur March 9-13 a few blocks away at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers. It was announced last week the NCAA women’s basketball tournament will take place at sites in and around San Antonio, Texas.