The Big Ten Men's Basketball Conference Tournament is undergoing a facelift once again following a change to the format before the 2024-2025 season.
Last season, the format was changed to allow only the top 15 teams in the conference to make the tournament, a change from the previous seasons when all teams made the tournament.
During the final stretch of games last season, the Hawkeyes were fighting for their lives in the conference tournament as they struggled in Big Ten Conference play.
The Hawkeyes were the last team in the field as they earned a 15-seed for the conference tournament after finishing the regular season with a 7-13 conference record.
Iowa upset 10-seed Ohio State in the first round, but were bounced out by Illinois in the second round, ending their season and Head Coach Fran McCaffery's tenure with the program.
During Ben McCollum's first season in charge of the new-look Hawkeyes, the squad will not have to sweat making the tournament field as the coaches in the league voted to return the format to what it previously was.
SOURCE: The 2025-26 Big Ten men’s basketball tournament will include all 18 teams, one year after including 15. This will add a day, March 10, to the tournament in Chicago.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) September 18, 2025
The women’s tournament in Indianapolis will stay at 15.
Coaches voted on their respective brackets. pic.twitter.com/JqHrrwaD3u
Chicago Sports Network contributor Matt Fortuna reported that sources told him the 2025-2026 Big Ten Tournament will include all 18 teams, one year after only the top 15 teams were allowed in.
The coaches in the league voted to return the tournament to its original format and added a day to accommodate the three extra teams.
The men's tournament will now take place from March 10 to 15, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, while the women's tournament will remain in Indianapolis with only 15 teams.
The Hawkeyes begin the 2025-2026 season on November 4 with a game against Robert Morris at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and begin their Big Ten Conference schedule on December 2 at Michigan State.