NEW YORK - The Big Ten Conference confirmed Thursday morning it will add two conference games to its basketball schedule starting in 2018-19, pushing the conference slate to 20 games.
Reports that the Big Ten coaches had voted in favor of adding a pair of conference games began swirling on Monday, and the conference confirmed the rumors just minutes before the start of its basketball media day in New York City.
In a press release, the Big Ten stated that part of its reasoning to expand the conference schedule is to encourage home-and-home settings with in-state rivals.
Under the new men’s format, teams will play seven opponents twice and six teams once (three home, three away) in a given season. The three in-state rivalries – Illinois/Northwestern, Indiana/Purdue and Michigan/Michigan State – will be played twice annually, while the new schedule will also include a regional component to increase the frequency of games among teams in similar areas. Over the course of a six-year cycle (12 playing opportunities), in-state rivals will play each other 12 times, regional opponents will play 10 times, and all other teams will play nine times.
In addition, the Big Ten has added two games to the women's conference slate of games, pushing it to 18 games from the previous 16 game schedule.
