IU, Purdue prepare for Big Ten Tournament in the Big Apple
NEW YORK (WISH) — It may seem a bit odd, but the Big Ten Tournament is officially underway at the famed Madison Square Garden.
The average travel distance for the 14 league teams was 630 miles and the conference schedule was condensed so the tournament could be held a week earlier than normal. Several coaches complained about the situation during the season, but this week it’s all about embracing the Garden.
“A lot of people are making more of it, it kind of gives a story line but there is not much to it. It is a week before, it is seven days before, it is not that big of a deal,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “People are injured, people are going to get healthy. Everyone is kind of worn down by that point. The one thing you want to do is to stay on edge.”
“I can see why our commissioner and our league work so hard to be able to get in there,” IU coach Archie Miller said. “It’s monumental to be able to play in Madison Square Garden and being able to play a week early where you don’t have to flip the channel to see what’s going on in any other league. It should put all eyes on us this weekend.”
The Boilers enter the Big Ten Tournament looking to impress the NCAA tournament selection committee and improve their seeding for what they hope could be a Final Four run.
For the Hoosiers, the only route to the Big Dance is four wins in four days in the Garden.
“We are taking it one day at a time. It starts with Thursday. We just have to focus in on that day and go forward from there,” junior forward Juwan Morgan said. “We want to keep playing as long as possible and we will just have to get it done.”
If Indiana wins its opening game, it would set up a Friday night showdown between the Hoosiers and the Boilers. That’s theater even Broadway can appreciate.