Big Ten tournament preview, bracket: Can Michigan State run table, crash No. 1 seed party?
Michigan State enters the Big Tournament as regular season champions seeking to double dip as tournament champions after starting the season unranked. Meanwhile, a handful of teams will be sweating the NCAA tournament bubble.
Here's what to know about and what to watch for at the Big Ten tournament, including matchups, game times and TV.
3 storylines to watch
After starting the season unranked, Michigan State has emerged as one of the nation's best teams and enters conference tournament play on a seven-game winning streak that includes five wins over ranked teams, two of them over rival Michigan.
The Spartans appear locked into a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and will hope to make a case for a No. 1 seed in Indianapolis. It's a long shot that will require some significant help from the SEC tournament. Either way, the Spartans are playing their best basketball at the right time and are red hot entering tournament play.
Michigan, meanwhile has been spiraling. After a 14-3 start to Big Ten play, the Wolverines have lost three straight and four of their last six, including Sunday's lopsided loss to Michigan State in the regular-season finale.
The Wolverines are slipping in NCAA tournament bracket projections and will look to get re-find their footing with a run in Indianapolis.
Ohio State, Indiana and Nebraska all enter Big Ten tournament play on the NCAA tournament bubble. Indiana appears to be the safest bet of the three after beating Ohio State in the regular-season finale. An early exit would spell trouble for either three of them.
Big Ten tournament bracket
Here's your official 2025 Big Ten Tournament Bracket: pic.twitter.com/1Ud4j49AMD
— The Field Pass (@TheFieldPass) March 9, 2025
All times ET
When: March 12-16
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indianapolis
TV: CBS, Big Ten Network, Peacock
Game Schedule:
Wednesday March 12 | First round
Game 1: No. 13 Northwestern vs. No. 12 Minnesota — 3:30 p.m. | Peacock
Game : No. 15 Iowa vs. No. 10 Ohio State — 25 minutes after Game 1 ends | Peacock
Game 3: No. 14 USC vs. No. 11 Rutgers — 25 minutes after Game 2 ends | Peacock
Thursday, March 13 | Second round
Game 4: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oregon — Noon | Big Ten Network
Game 5: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. Game 1 winner — 25 minutes after Game 4 ends | Big Ten Network
Game 6: No. 7 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner — 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Game 7: No. 6 Purdue vs Game 3 winner — 25 minutes after Game 6 ends | Big Ten Network
Friday, March 14 | Quarterfinals
Game 8: No. 1 Michigan State vs. Game 4 winner — Noon | Big Ten Network
Game 9: No. 4 UCLA vs. Game 5 winner — 25 minutes after Game 8 ends | Big Ten Network
Game 10: No. 2 Maryland vs. Game 6 winner — 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Game 11: No. 3 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner— 25 minutes after Game 10 ends | Big Ten Network
Saturday, March 15 | Semifinals
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner — 1 p.m. | CBS
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner — 25 minutes after Game 10 ends | CBS
Sunday, March 16 | Championship
Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner — 3:30 p.m. | CBS
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