In search of a strength-of-schedule boost for its teams and additional programming for the league's namesake network, the Big Ten will move to a 20-game conference schedule for men's basketball beginning next season.
The conference announced the switch, which had been previously reported, at its basketball media days event Thursday in New York. By implementing the change for the 2018-19 season, the Big Ten will get a jump on the ACC's planned move to a 20-game slate in 2019-20.
The scheduling rotation will work this way, according to a conference release:
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.
Adding two games to the Big Ten slate figures to make it even more difficult for quality mid-major programs to schedule Big Ten schools in November and December, particularly with the conference still committed to participating in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and the Gavitt Tipoff Games against the Big East. But that's an issue for other schools to worry about.
"We thought playing against each other more was good, and good for the Big Ten and good for college basketball in general," commissioner Jim Delany said at a news conference Thursday. "People generally respond more to conference games than the non-conference."
