Big Ten Tournament Bracket Released

Rosemont, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced the full bracket for the 2021 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament presented by SoFi that will take place March 10-14 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Nebraska will take on Penn State Wednesday evening in the first round. The Huskers and Nittany Lions split two meetings this season, as Nebraska won 62-61 in State College on Feb. 14, while the Nittany Lions took a 86-83 win in Lincoln on Feb. 23. Tipoff will be 25 minutes following the conclusion of the Minnesota-Northwestern matchup which will begin at 5:30 p.m. CT.   Wednesday’s winner will take on sixth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday evening. 

 

Michigan (19-3 overall, 14-3 in the Big Ten) is the No. 1 seed for this year’s tournament after securing the outright Big Ten Championship. This year marks the 15th time Michigan has won the title and its first regular-season championship since the 2013-14 season. The Wolverines last captured the Big Ten Tournament championship in 2018 when they defeated Purdue 75-66 in Madison Square Garden. The 2018 championship came on the heels of Michigan’s 2017 championship in which they beat Wisconsin 71-56 in Washington, D.C. As the No. 1 seed, Michigan receives a double-bye and will open tournament play at 10:30 a.m. CT on Friday, March 12, with a contest against the winner of No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 9 Michigan State.

 

Illinois (20-6, 16-4) has earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament, marking the Illini’s highest seed in the Big Ten Tournament since 2009 when they also earned the No. 2 spot. Illinois’ 16 conference wins this season are the most ever in program history and top the previous school record of 15 which was set in 1984 and repeated in 2015. Illinois has won two Big Ten Tournament championships (2003 and 2005) and boasts the third-highest all-time winning percentage in Big Ten Tournament play (28-20, .583 pct.). Illinois will tip off its tournament schedule at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday, March 12, and will take on the winner of No. 7 Rutgers vs. No. 10 Indiana.

 

Iowa (20-7, 14-6) clinched the No. 3 seed in the tournament after defeating Wisconsin 77-73 on the final day of the regular season. This marks Iowa’s highest seeding in the Big Ten Tournament since the Hawkeyes earned the No. 2 seed in 2006. That year, Iowa defeated Ohio State 67-60 to capture the program’s second Big Ten Tournament championship. Iowa won its first tournament title in 2001 when it defeated Indiana 63-61. The Hawkeyes will open tournament play the evening of Friday, March 12.

 

Rounding out the top four seeds in this year’s Big Ten Tournament is Purdue (18-8, 13-6), marking the sixth time in the last seven years that the Boilermakers have earned a top-four seed in the tournament. The Boilermakers are currently riding a league-best five-game winning streak heading into postseason play. Purdue will tip off its tournament action Friday afternoon (March 12).

 

The Big Ten Network will televise the tournament’s first 10 games, with coverage spanning the first round of the tournament through the quarterfinals. CBS Sports will once again broadcast the semifinals and final. All BTN on-air games can be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the FOX Sports App, while the CBS Sports broadcasts will also be available to stream live on Paramount+.

 

A complete list of tournament seedings can be found below and in the attached tournament bracket.

1. Michigan
2. Illinois
3. Iowa
4. Purdue
5. Ohio State
6. Wisconsin
7. Rutgers
8. Maryland
9. Michigan State
10. Indiana
11. Penn State
12.  Northwestern
13. Minnesota
14. Nebraska