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It's been reported that the Big Ten Tournament has sold out for the second straight year. This largely came out on Twitter in the last hour or so:
The Big Ten just announced that for the second straight year, the men's basketball tournament has sold out. #iubb #B1G
— Jordan Littman (@JordanLittman) February 24, 2014
This may not look like big news, but it's actually pretty noteworthy. The big reason for this is that it displays the growth and importance in the conference tournament for the conference. The Big Ten is one of the rare conferences in the nation that still features more attention on its regular season title than on its postseason tournament. Not everyone may agree with this, but it's largely accepted that the Big Ten title is the most meaningful regular season title in the nation. Considering this, having this many fans come out for the postseason tournament shows that the Big Ten Tournament title matters as well.
These kind of sales also show that there is rising interest in what many regard as the nation's best basketball conference. People clearly want to watch this basketball and what makes it even more evident is the fact that Indiana and Purdue are not exactly expected to have a great run in the conference tournament. These are the only Big Ten teams located in Indiana, so you know a lot of fans are coming a great distance to see this event.
Overall, not major news for the conference, but certainly an exciting note as we get closer to the end of the season. The Big Ten has been making major strides and this is just one indication of that improvement.
