Despite IU's 3rd-round exit, the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center in Chicago is always a spectacle to behold. Within five days, 14 teams come and go with only one hoisting the trophy on Sunday.
The first three days, the games are rapid fire, one after another, giving fans plenty of basketball to take in.
Through the thousands of fans that walk through the United Center turnstiles, to the hundreds of media members and UC workers who roam the undercarriage of the arena, there's a lot to take in--here are some of the highlights.
Here's WIUX's view of the court from our broadcast position. Clearly, it was a great, unobstructed view. We broadcasted from the radio booth where the hockey announcers normally sit for Blackhawks games.
Sometimes, you'd see some familiar faces:
Halftime shows were all over the board in talent:
Some artifacts from the Chicago Blackhawks:
There were only two locker rooms, so teams came right from their hotel to the stadium before their game:
[video width="270" height="480" m4v="https://wiux.indiana.edu/wiux.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Team-1.m4v"][/video]
[video width="270" height="480" m4v="https://wiux.indiana.edu/wiux.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Yogi-1.m4v"][/video]
[video width="270" height="480" m4v="https://wiux.indiana.edu/wiux.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Crean-1.m4v"][/video]
Here's our view of the last second shot of MSU's Branden Dawson before overtime of the championship game:
[video width="640" height="360" m4v="https://wiux.indiana.edu/wiux.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IMG_2150-1.m4v"][/video]
At the end of the championship game, confetti rained down:
At the end of the tournament, the United Center sits and waits in the dark, eager for its next event to begin.