MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday that the 2023 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, and both the 2024 Big Ten Women's and Men's Basketball Tournaments will be held at Target Center in Downtown Minneapolis.
"We are thrilled to bring the Big Ten Basketball Tournaments to Minneapolis, beginning with the Big Ten Women’s Tournament in 2023," said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren. "Minneapolis has a strong history of hosting exceptional events such as the recent NCAA Women’s Final Four, and also features world-class venues and an outstanding base of Big Ten alumni and fans."
U of M women's basketball head coach Linday Whalen says she thinks that Minneapolis could not be a more perfect host for the events. She recounted the recent Final Four tournament held in Minneapolis.
“We’ve seen when women’s sports are supported, as they are in Minnesota, they can bring in massive audiences," Whalen said in a released statement.
The 2023 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament will be held outside of Indianapolis for the first time since 2015, when it took place near Chicago. The Big Ten says more than 860,000 fans have attended the women's tourney since 1995.
Big Ten officials say the Men's Tournament has been staged in four different cities over the past six seasons. More than 2.3 million fans have attended the event throughout its history.
“After this year's sold-out NCAA Women’s Final Four, hosting the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament in 2023, and the Big Ten men’s and women’s tournaments in 2024 will continue to fuel Minnesota’s reputation as a true basketball state," said Minnesota Sports and Events CEO Wendy Blackshaw. "With our terrific partners, especially Target Center and its state-of-the-art venue, we can't wait to welcome more basketball fans to our great state.”
It was previously announced that the 2023 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held at the United Center in Chicago.
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