Changes are coming with the Big Ten's expansion to 18 teams, but one thing that will remain the same is the number of conference games played by the league's teams.
With Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington all joining the Big Ten basketball ranks starting in the 2024-25 season, each Big Ten team will continue to play 20 conference games each year, per College Hoops Today.
One thing that is changing, however, is the Big Ten Tournament, which will move to a 15-team bracket starting with the 2025 tourney.
NEWS: The Big Ten is planning to stay at 20 league games when UCLA, USC, Oregon, & Washington join the conference in 2024-25, according to a source.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 26, 2024
The Big Ten is also planning to only have 15 of its 18 teams in the Big Ten Tournament starting in 2025. https://t.co/FDQxFVY31q
A 15-team bracket would mean that the bottom three teams in the conference are excluded from conference tournament action. No seed lower than the No. 8 Michigan State men's team in 2017 has ever won the Big Ten Tournament.
Rothstein’s report does not specify whether the 15-team tournament structure will apply for both men’s and women’s basketball, though the Big Ten has typically used the same conference tournament structure for both genders.
An official announcement from the Big Ten with more details is reportedly expected soon.
