INDIANAPOLIS — As fans once again flock to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament, the echoes of a tumultuous moment in sports history resonate. It has been five years since the world of collegiate athletics came to a screeching halt on March 11, 2020, when news hit that the NBA had suspended its season amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was chaos. Like, are we all about to die?” explained Matt Cohen, who reported on the game as a student journalist for the Indiana Daily Student.
On March 11, 2020, the Indiana Hoosiers faced off against Nebraska in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, a matchup that quickly took a backseat to more pressing matters.
JD Campbell, then sports information director for IU Basketball, recalled the unsettling atmosphere.
“All we cared about was winning the game. We felt with that win against Nebraska, we would secure our spot in the NCAA tournament," Campbell said.
“Typically, a basketball game doesn’t have a story beyond the game itself," Cohen added. "I don’t remember anything about the game that night.”
The focus had shifted as concerns over a looming pandemic became apparent.
The next day, the Big Ten conference canceled its tournament.
On the return trip to Bloomington, the IU basketball team learned that the NCAA tournament had also been scrapped.
“It was absolutely devastating for them," Campbell explained. "Seniors like Deron Davis and Devontae Green had never gotten a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. Every senior that had played four years at Indiana since 1971 had played in the NCAA tournament at least once."
The cancellation of March Madness was just the beginning.
“All sports were done—NBA, spring training—everything was being canceled,” said WRTV Sports Director Brad Brown.
Fast forward five years, and the atmosphere is back to pre-COVID levels as the tournament returns to the Circle City.
“It feels right to put the Big Ten Tournament back in Indianapolis, back in the middle of the original conference, where Big Ten basketball is meant to be,” said Cohen.
“What we learned about the world through that experience is something that will stay with everyone who was impacted forever," Campbell shared.
The 2025 Big Ten Tournament begins Wednesday and will run through the Championship game on Sunday.
