As was first reported by Justin Albers, and confirmed by Sports Illustrated, the Big Ten Tournament will be played in Washington D.C. in 2017. Earlier today the Big Ten announced a season opening event against Big East schools in a continued effort to expand to the East coast after adding Maryland and Rutgers to the conference. Here’s the Sports Illustrated report:

The Big Ten will hold its 2017 men’s basketball tournament at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., the league will announce Tuesday, marking the first time the event, which began in 1998, will be played outside of Indianapolis or Chicago.

The announcement fits with the league’s larger initiative to plant roots on the East Coast, what with Rutgers’ and Maryland’s impending arrival on July 1.

“We don’t just want to visit here, we want to live here,” Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said of the Northeast. “This was our first opportunity to do that. We think it’s a wonderful opportunity for not just Maryland, but for expatriate Big Ten fans living on the East Coast to see great basketball in March.”