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NEW YORK – The BIG EAST and Big Ten Conferences have announced the matchups for the third annual Gavitt Tipoff Games. Illinois will host DePaul at State Farm Center on Nov. 17 as part of the eight-team event that runs Nov. 13-17, 2017. The Illini-Blue Demons matchup will be televised by Big Ten Network. The game time will be announced at a later date.
It will mark the first meeting between Illinois and DePaul since 1957 and the 19th meeting overall. The Illini lead the all-time series 12-6 overall and 6-3 in Champaign.
About the Gavitt Tipoff Games
The Gavitt Tipoff Games are 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. This year's games will be televised on FS1 and BTN.
The annual series features battles between local foes and attractive intersectional matchups. Among the 16 participating schools, 11 played in the NCAA Tournament last year and two played in the NIT. Five of the games will feature matchups of teams coming NCAA berths. The 11 NCAA teams are: Minnesota, Providence, Purdue, Marquette, Butler, Maryland, Creighton, Northwestern, Seton Hall, Xavier and Wisconsin. The two NIT squads are Indiana and Illinois.
Scheduled through 2022, the Gavitt Tipoff Games will be played on consecutive days in the first full week of 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.
2017 Gavitt Tipoff Games schedule
Monday, Nov. 13
Minnesota at Providence – FS1
Tuesday, Nov. 14
Purdue at Marquette – FS1
Wednesday, Nov. 15
Butler at Maryland – FS1 or BTN
Creighton at Northwestern – FS1 or BTN
Indiana at Seton Hall – FS1
Thursday, Nov. 16
Nebraska at St. John's – FS1
Xavier at Wisconsin – FS1
Friday, Nov. 17
DePaul at Illinois – BTN
