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Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket is Set; Nebrasketball Misses the Cut

For the first time since 1976, the Huskers will not participate in the league tournament.

Kaleb Henry

Nebraska's Brice Williams (3), Sam Hoiberg (1), Braxton Meah (red polo) and Gavin Griffiths (12) walk off the court after the Huskers' loss Sunday to Iowa.
Nebraska's Brice Williams (3), Sam Hoiberg (1), Braxton Meah (red polo) and Gavin Griffiths (12) walk off the court after the Huskers' loss Sunday to Iowa. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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For the first time since 1976, Nebraska men's basketball will not participate in a league tournament.

The Big Ten Conference Tournament field was set Sunday as the regular season came to a close. The 18-team league has 15 teams advancing to play in Indianapolis.

A five-way tie for 12th in the league pushed one team out of the field. The 7-13 teams are Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, and USC.

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Payton Sandfort (20) and guard Josh Dix (4) celebrate during the second half against Nebraska.
Iowa's Josh Dix (left) and Payton Sandfort celebrate during the second half Sunday. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The tiebreaker for three or more teams is based on round-robin record, with Minnesota emerging on top at 3-1, followed by Northwestern at 3-2. USC and Iowa are next at 2-2 and 3-3, with the Torjans having the head-to-head win over the Hawkeyes.

Nebraska fell to 16th with a round-robin record of 1-4.

Penn State and Washington were already eliminated before Sunday's games.

Michigan State's Frankie Fidler holds the Big Ten championship trophy after the game against Michigan.
Michigan State's Frankie Fidler holds the Big Ten championship trophy after the Spartans' 79-62 win Sunday over Michigan. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At the top, Michigan State locked up the 1-seed a few games ago. They'll have a double-bye in the bracket, along with Maryland, Michigan, and UCLA.

Earning single-byes as the 5-9 seeds are, in order, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Oregon and Indiana.

The Big Ten Tournament will begin Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, with Northwestern facing Minnesota, followed by Iowa-Ohio State then USC-Rutgers.

Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
UCLA and Ohio State face off Saturday in a Big Ten women's tournament semifinal game. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Peacock will stream the games on Wednesday, with Big Ten Network broadcasting the second round and quarterfinals. The semifinals and championship will be on CBS.

The full schedule with matchups and times can be found below.

Final Big Ten Standings

  1. Michigan State 17-3
  2. Maryland 14-6
  3. Michigan 14-6
  4. UCLA 13-7
  5. Wisconsin 13-7
  6. Purdue 13-7
  7. Illinois 12-8
  8. Oregon 12-8
  9. Indiana 10-10
  10. Ohio State 9-11
  11. Rutgers 8-12
  12. Minnesota 7-13
  13. Northwestern 7-13
  14. USC 7-13
  15. Iowa 7-13
  16. Nebraska 7-13
  17. Penn State 6-14
  18. Washington 4-16

Wednesday, March 12 (First Round)
Game 1 (#13 Northwestern vs. #12 Minnesota) – 2:30p.m. CDT (Peacock)
Game 2 (#15 vs. #10 Ohio State) – 25 minutes following Game 1 (Peacock)
Game 3(#14 USC vs. #11 Rutgers) – 25 minutes following Game 2 (Peacock)

Thursday, March 13 (Second Round)
Game 4 (#8 Oregon vs. #9 Indiana) – 11 a.m. CDT(BTN)
Game 5 (#5 Wisconsin vs. Game 1 winner) – 25minutes following Game 4 (BTN)
Game 6 (#7 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner) – 5:30p.m. CDT (BTN)
Game 7 (#6 Purdue vs. Game 3 winner) – 25minutes following Game 5 (BTN)

Friday, March 14 (Quarterfinals)
Game 8 (#1 Michigan State vs. Game 4 winner) – 11 a.m. CDT (BTN)
Game 9 (#4 UCLA vs. Game 5 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 7 (BTN)
Game 10 (#2 Maryland vs. Game 6 winner) – 5:30p.m. CDT (BTN)
Game 11 (#3 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner) – 25minutes following Game 9 (BTN)

Saturday, March 15 (Semifinals)
Game 12 (Game 8 vs. Game 9 winner) – 12 p.m. CDT(CBS)
Game 13 (Game 10 vs. Game 11 winner) – 25minutes following Game 11 (CBS)

Sunday, March 16 (Championship)
Game 14 (Game 12 vs. Game 13 winner) – 2:30 CDT  (CBS)

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.