The Big Ten and the Big East have announced an eight-game season tipoff series between teams from the conferences named in honor of Basketball Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt, founder of the Big East.
The Gavitt Tipoff Games will be played on four consecutive days in the first full week of the college basketball season. The series begins at the start of the 2015-16 season and will span eight years, with games played at home sites.
The series creates the possibility of rekindling or sparking regional rivalries -- Big East teams aren't necessarily East Coast teams -- including Ohio State and Xavier, which haven't played in the regular season since 1934.
The Big East goes as far west as Omaha (Creighton), Chicago (DePaul) and Milwaukee (Marquette), while the Big Ten this summer expands east with the additions of Maryland and Rutgers.
"We are excited to honor Dave Gavitt and his contributions to the sport of basketball through the establishment of the Gavitt Tipoff Games," Big Ten Commissioner Jin Delany said in a statement. "Dave was a friend and a mentor to me and often mentioned that college basketball should do a better job of tipping off the season, similar to opening day in baseball. I think he would approve of our effort to start a new tipoff tradition, grow the game and serve the best interests of the student-athletes and coaches in these two great conferences."
Two games will be played on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the first full week of each season -- four at Big East home sites, and four at Big Ten home sites. Each of the eight Big East teams will participate a minimum of six times over the eight years, while Big Ten programs will participate a minimum of four times.
