Big Ten announces future sites for football championship game, basketball tournaments

Michigan State upset Ohio State 34-24 in last year's Big Ten championship game. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The Big Ten Conference said Thursday that it will keep the conference's football championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and that future basketball tournaments will be hosted both by Chicago and Indianapolis.

The conference's football championship game is staying at Lucas Oil Stadium through the 2021 season, while the basketball tournament will rotate between Chicago's United Center and Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Chicago will host the hoops tournament in 2019 and 2021, while Indianapolis will host in 2020 and 2022. Bankers Life Fieldhouse will host the women's basketball tournament from 2017 through 2022.

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"The Big Ten Conference and member institutions are excited to return to Chicago and Indianapolis for future football championship games and basketball tournaments," Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said."These two cities have been tremendous hosts and partners with first-class facilities and an outstanding base of Big Ten alumni and fans who support conference events. We are proud of the history that we have developed with these two great cities and look forward to maintaining a significant presence in both locations."

Next year's basketball tournament will be in Chicago. In 2016, it moves to Indianapolis; in 2017, the tournament will be held at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

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