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As Maryland and Rutgers prepare to join the Big Ten, conference fans have been waiting to see how the first basketball season in the new era might unfold. Friday, the first glimpse was provided when the Big Ten announced each team's conference slate for 2014-15.
Wisconsin will travel to both Maryland and Rutgers, but its home slate and apparently soft set of double-plays will have fans raving about the chance of pursuing a top NCAA tournament seed with the likes of Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminsky, Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig having another year under their belts.
| HOME | AWAY |
|---|---|
| Illinois | Iowa* |
| Indiana | Maryland |
| Iowa* | Michigan |
| Michigan State | Minnesota* |
| Minnesota* | Nebraska* |
| Nebraska* | Northwestern* |
| Northwestern* | Ohio State |
| Penn State* | Penn State* |
| Purdue | Rutgers |
| *Denotes double-plays | |
Dates and times TBA. Here's the full conference slate, as well:
Full Big Ten schedule grid: pic.twitter.com/yAIA7V7I35
— Alex Bozich (@insidethehall) February 28, 2014
So Wisconsin gets Michigan State just once and at home, and Ohio State just once, but on the road. Other single-plays include Illinois, Indiana and Purdue all at home, with Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State and Rutgers coming on the road.
As a reminder, next season is the first in a three-year cycle where each team plays five opponents twice and eight others once. The five teams Wisconsin faces twice next season will become single-plays in 2016, meaning the Badgers will play five new teams twice in 2016.