The Big Ten just put out a release announcing their 2008-2009 men's basketball schedule, which means IU might follow soon with their full slate. The release is below, but here are some highlights: -IU opens at Iowa again, on Jan. 3. -Home opener four days later against Michigan. -The Hoosiers will be out of the frying pan three games in, with a trip to the western-most Assembly Hall in the Big Ten on the slate for Jan. 10, when they travel to Illinois. Old hate dies hard, I hear. -Again, IU and Purdue will meet only once, this time up along the Wabash at Mackey Arena. -The first month isn't too kind to IU. In addition to trips to Iowa and Illinois, the Hoosiers also play Ohio State twice. They'll also get Michigan and Northwestern, though the second of those games is on the road. -The last home game of the year -- and presumably Kyle Taber's Senior Day -- will come against Michigan State.
Click beyond to read the release, and here's a pdf link to the full schedule. We'll have IU's schedule as soon as it comes to us. Park Ridge, Ill.--For the second consecutive year, every men's basketball conference regular-season and tournament game will be nationally televised. The Big Ten Conference's media agreements result in over 100 games appearing nationally on CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN2 or the Big Ten Network.
The conference slate tips off on Tuesday, December 30, with Purdue hosting Illinois. The tilt will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. EST. The Big Ten Network will broadcast its first games of the conference season with a doubleheader on Wednesday, December 31. Iowa travels to Ohio State for a 4 p.m. EST contest, while Minnesota hosts Michigan State in the second game at 6 p.m. EST. ESPN will also air two contests that day--Northwestern travels to Penn State for a Noon EST tip and Michigan hosts Wisconsin at 2 p.m. EST. CBS Sports will broadcast its first game of the Big Ten slate on Sunday, January 11, as Purdue plays host to Wisconsin.
The conference season concludes with the 12th annual Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, which is scheduled to take place Thursday through Sunday, March 12-15, at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The Big Ten Network will carry Thursday's opening game, one of three tournament contests appearing on the network along with a pair of Friday night quarterfinal matchups featuring the openers for the second and third seeds. ESPN2 will broadcast the remaining first round games on Thursday before ESPN carries the first two quarterfinal tilts on Friday. CBS Sports will televise the semifinal and championship games on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
