Tom Izzo did the March thing he so often does. Maryland, Wisconsin and Michigan all muscled up from unranked in the preseason to the middle of the last AP poll. The two most recent conference tournament winners, Illinois and Purdue, are firmly in the field, as is fourth-seeded newcomer UCLA. The Big Ten tournament is upon us, and it should be a solid one this year.
How to watch the 2025 Big Ten men’s basketball tournament
- Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse — Indianapolis
- Dates: March 12-16
- TV: CBS, Big Ten Network
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free), Peacock, Fox Sports App, Paramount+
- Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub
Full schedule
All times Eastern, to be updated throughout the tournament.
First round — Wednesday, March 12
- Game 1: No. 12 seed Minnesota vs. No. 13 Northwestern | 3:30 p.m. on Peacock
- Game 2: No. 10 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Iowa | 25 minutes after Game 1 on Peacock
- Game 3: No. 11 Rutgers vs. No. 14 USC | 25 minutes after Game 2 on Peacock
Second round — Thursday, March 13
- Game 4: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Indiana | noon on Big Ten Network
- Game 5: No. 5 Wisconsin vs. Game 1 winner | 25 minutes after Game 4 on Big Ten Network
- Game 6: No. 7 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner | 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
- Game 7: No. 6 Purdue vs. Game 3 winner | 25 minutes after Game 6 on Big Ten Network
Quarterfinals — Friday, March 14
- Game 8: No. 1 Michigan State vs. Game 4 winner | noon on Big Ten Network
- Game 9: No. 4 UCLA vs. Game 5 winner | 25 minutes after Game 8 on Big Ten Network
- Game 10: No. 2 Maryland vs. Game 6 winner | 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
- Game 11: No. 3 Michigan vs. Game 7 winner | 25 minutes after Game 10 on Big Ten Network
Semifinals — Saturday, March 15
- Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 1 p.m. on CBS
- Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 25 minutes after Game 12 on CBS
Championship — Sunday, March 16 | 3:30 p.m. on CBS
Players to watch
There were so many distinct talents to emerge this season. Here are but a few: Freshman Jase Richardson immediately endeared himself to the green and white, averaging 19.5 points on 59/44/90 shooting splits in Michigan State’s two wins over Michigan. Wolverines seven-foot center Vladislav Goldin led the Big Ten in effective field goal percentage and scored an ultra-efficient 29 in the season finale against the Spartans.
Derik Queen looks like a first-round NBA draft pick after his dominant Maryland debut, but the Terrapins are souped up with three icy shooters in Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel. Purdue’s Braden Smith was voted Big Ten Player of the Year and made First-Team all-conference with teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn. Sixth-year Wisconsin transfer John Tonje was a certified bucket in Madison and made more free throws than anyone in the league. Rutgers’ flashy freshman duo — elastic lefty Dylan Harper and 18-year-old shotmaker Ace Bailey — could go as high as Nos. 2 and 3 in this spring’s NBA Draft.
More analysis from The Athletic
CJ Moore on the Spartans in his latest power rankings:
“Michigan State won the Big Ten with a 17-3 conference record, the 11th time Tom Izzo has lost four or fewer games in league play. In the previous 10 years that’s happened, here’s how far the Spartans went in the postseason: Sweet 16, Final Four, national champs, Final Four, Final Four, Round of 64, lost in the title game, Final Four, Round of 32, Final Four. So that’s a 70 percent hit rate of making it to at least the Final Four. Sparty fans have to love those odds.”
“Illinois has gotten back to turning the game into a math problem. The Illini are third-best team in the country at limiting 3-point attempts, and they love to lean on the 3 on offense. Since a late February annihilation in Madison Square Garden at the hands of Duke in which they went 2 for 26 from 3, the Illini have won three straight, outscoring those opponents 102-45 from beyond the arc. With Morez Johnson out, head coach Brad Underwood hasn’t worried about playing a true big whenever Tomislav Ivisic is off the floor, and that strategy paid off down the stretch in Saturday’s 88-80 win against Purdue.”
Sam Vecenie on Maryland center Derik Queen:
“Yes, he’s a strong post player. But what makes him particularly intriguing to NBA teams is his ball skill. Queen is a fantastic ballhandler and shot creator from the perimeter for a big man. He can really control the ball at a level that most guys over 6-10 just can’t. He loves to face up and size his man up before hitting crossovers with some suddenness and hesitation, using shot fakes or pass fakes well to get his man off-balance. Beyond that, he really seems to understand how to use his frame to maintain advantages. Few bigs are better at any level — including the NBA — at using a hostage dribble to keep his man on his back and keep a four-on-five advantage for his team.”
Locks: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin
In the Mix: Indiana, Ohio State
On the Fringe: Nebraska
“Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers got a massive win against Ohio State on Saturday afternoon, improving their own resume while handing the Buckeyes their 14th loss. Indiana’s ultra-clean resume has just enough high-end heft (three Q1A wins) to offset having 12 losses (none of which are anywhere near “bad” territory). They have no risk of a bad loss at the Big Ten tournament, either, opening with a Q1 game against Oregon, whom they nearly beat in Eugene less than a week ago. A win might even elevate the Hoosiers above the First Four, while a loss would make for a long wait until Selection Sunday.”
“Ohio State split two big bubble battles this week, outlasting Nebraska in double overtime before falling at Indiana on Saturday. The Buckeyes are now dancing dangerously close to an overall record eliminator: No team has ever earned an at-large bid with a record just two games over .500. That means a loss in their Big Ten tournament opener (against No. 15 seed Iowa on Wednesday) would likely eliminate them. We’ll re-evaluate their profile if they win that one.”
Big Ten Tournament odds
Tournament record book
Six Big Ten Tournament MVPs are active in the NBA: Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois, 2024), Zach Edey (Purdue, 2023), Keegan Murray (Iowa, 2022), Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois, 2021), Moritz Wagner (Michigan, 2018) and Draymond Green (Michigan State, 2012).
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