Ohio State basketball: Columbus should get Big Ten Tournament

The news came out yesterday that the Big Ten Tournament will be held in Chicago and then Minneapolis the following year. That means the Ohio State basketball team will be playing in a new city in 2024 when that tournament is held in Minnesota.

Personally, I like the rotation that the Big Ten had with Indianapolis and Chicago hosting the Big Ten Tournament. Both cities do a good job of hosting it and fans seem to like traveling to both cities. Both cities are also pretty equidistant to the surrounding Big Ten schools.

But if Minneapolis can get a Big Ten Tournament, why can’t Columbus? The Ohio State basketball program would do an excellent job hosting the tournament. They could play the games downtown at Nationwide Arena. Columbus has already hosted some first-round NCAA Tournament games.

Columbus is a very similar city to Indianapolis. I know because I have lived in both cities. Both cities are very walkable, have good food options near the arena, and ample hotel space. It would make a lot of sense for the Big Ten to put the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus for at least one year.

It would also give keep the Big Ten Tourney centrally located for all of the member schools. Columbus isn’t that far away from Indy or Chicago. It’s much closer than it was when they had the tournament in Washington D.C. and New York City a few years back.

I think it would be great if members of the Ohio State basketball program campaigned to have the Big Ten Tournament hosted in Columbus. It would be fun not just for Buckeye fans, but fans of all of the other Big Ten teams. Columbus has a lot to offer as a city.