The Big East and Big Ten Conferences have announced the establishment of the Gavitt Tipoff games, an annual early season series of eight men’s basketball games played between the two conferences and named in honor of Dave Gavitt, founder of the Big East and basketball visionary.
The Gavitt Tipoff Games will be played on four consecutive days in the first full week of the college basketball season. The series will start at the beginning of the 2015-16 season and span eight years, with games played at home sites.
The series between the two conferences is named to honor the late Dave Gavitt, who had a lasting influence on the sport of basketball on the collegiate, professional and Olympic levels. Gavitt was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Television coverage of the Gavitt Tipoff Games will be controlled by the conference of the home team. Big East home games will be telecast by FOX Sports 1, while Big Ten home matchups will appear on ESPN or BTN.
The Wisconsin Badgers played two games last season against Big East opponents, earning wins over St. Johns and rival Marquette.