BIG EAST and Big Ten Announce Matchups for 2019 Gavitt Tipoff Games
-Early-Season Series Brings the Two Conferences Together for Eight Contests-
ROSEMONT, Ill. — The BIG EAST and Big Ten Conferences have announced the matchups for the fifth annual Gavitt Tipoff Games, with eight men’s basketball contests set for Nov. 11-14, 2019.  Game times and television network assignments will be announced at a later date. All games will be televised on FS1 or BTN.
The Gavitt Tipoff Games is a unique early-season series played between the two conferences and named in honor of Hall of Famer Dave Gavitt, founder of the BIG EAST and basketball visionary.
The Gavitt Tipoff Games are played in the first full week of college basketball’s regular season. The annual series, which is played on school home courts, features games between some area opponents as well as some attractive intersectional matchups.
Among the 16 participating schools, 14 played in the postseason last year, including nine in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The nine NCAA participants are: Iowa, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue, Seton Hall and Villanova. Ten of the 16 squads won at least 20 games last season.
The Gavitt Tipoff Games schedule begins on Monday, Nov. 11, with DePaul visiting Iowa.
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, each conference has a home game with Minnesota traveling to Butler and Creighton playing at Michigan.
The slate for Wednesday, Nov. 13, is the busiest of the week, with three games, two at Big Ten sites. Ohio State hosts Villanova, Northwestern hosts Providence and Purdue plays at Marquette.
The Gavitt Tipoff Games conclude on Thursday, Nov. 14, with both BIG EAST teams at home. Seton Hall hosts Michigan State and Georgetown takes on visiting Penn State.
The 2019 Gavitt Tipoff Games schedule
Monday, Nov. 11
DePaul at Iowa
Tuesday, Nov. 12
Minnesota at Butler
Creighton at Michigan
Wednesday, Nov. 13
Villanova at Ohio State
Purdue at Marquette
Providence at Northwestern
Thursday, Nov. 14
Michigan State at Seton Hall
Penn State at Georgetown
Scheduled through 2022, the Gavitt Tipoff Games will be played on consecutive days early in the college basketball season. The series will span eight years, with games played at home sites. Each BIG EAST team will participate a minimum of six times, while Big Ten programs will take part a minimum of four times. Teams from both conferences already meet in some traditional rivalry games, and those matchups will continue in the upcoming seasons.
The distinctive series between the two conferences is named to honor the late Gavitt, who had a profound and lasting influence on the sport of basketball at the collegiate, professional and Olympic levels. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
