Dave Gavitt’s service to the game of basketball at all levels can not be questioned, but one of his greatest visions was never realized until after his passing. That’s because Gavitt always thought the game of college basketball didn’t do a good enough job opening up its season.
“We are excited to honor Dave Gavitt and his contributions to the sport of basketball through the establishment of the Gavitt Tipoff Games,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “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.”
That will change starting in the 2015-16 season, as the Big Ten and Big East will begin a series of games during the opening week of the season.
According to the press release from the two conferences, it will be an eight-year event with games to be played at home sites. Each conference will have four home games, while two games will be played each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the opening week of the season.
For Wisconsin and the rest of the Big Ten, that means each school will participate a minimum of four times. Big East teams will participate a minimum of six times during the eight-year span of the agreement.
Traditional rivalry games, like Wisconsin vs. Marquette will be kept this season obviously, and a full schedule of these games will come out in late spring of each year.
TV will be done with the contract provider for the home team. When the Big East hosts, games will be on Fox Sports 1 and when the Big Ten plays host games will be on either ESPN or BTN.
While the ACC/Big Ten challenge has been around for years, this event will give more competitive games up front for each conference. It’s something Gavitt would’ve loved according to his son Dan:
“On behalf of the entire Gavitt family, we are humbled and grateful for this incredible honor in Dave’s memory from the Big Ten and Big East Conferences,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA Vice President of Men’s Basketball Championships and son of Dave Gavitt. “My father would love the spirit of creativity and friendship that these games represent to tip off the college basketball season. He would be most excited about the competitive experience that the games offer to the players and coaches of two great conferences.”
Look for this event to possibly feature Wisconsin vs. Marquette in a much earlier matchup than the traditional first Saturday in December, especially considering the press releases emphasis on traditional rivalry games staying put for this season.
That matchup, plus potential games between Nebraska-Creighton, Indiana/Purdue-Butler, Rutgers-Seton Hall and Ohio State-Xavier could all bring some great competition regional rivalries to the table.
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